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OF  CALIFORNIA 

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l^t. 


THE  WHITE  WATERFALL 


;  Hold  me  tight,  Verslun ! '  he  cried.     •  Hold  me  tight 
man!     I  have  him/'" 


THE    WHITE 
WATERFALL 


BY 


JAMES  FRANCIS  DWYER 


ILLUSTRATED  BY  CHARLES  S.  CHAPMAN 


GARDEN  CITY        NEW  YORK 

DOUBLEDAY,  PAGE  &  COMPANY 

1912 


Copyright,  191S,  by 

DOUBLEDAY,    PAGE    &    COMPANY 

All  rights  reserved,  including  that  of 

translation  into  foreign  languages, 

including  the  Scandinavian 


PR 


TO 
L.  C.  D.  and  G.  M.  D. 


2135206 


"THAT'S  THE  WAY  TO  HEAVEN, 
THAT'S  THE  WAY  TO  HEAVEN, 
THAT'S  THE  WAY  TO  HEAVEN  OUT 
OF  BLACK  FERNANDO'S  HELL." 


PREFACE 

IT  is  perhaps  inadvisable  to  mix  fact  with  fiction, 
but,  it  appears,  some  reference  to  certain  portions 
of  "The  White  Waterfall"  that  might  strain  the 
belief  of  the  aver'age  reader  will  not  be  out  of  place. 
In  the  wonderful  islands  of  the  Pacific  many  things 
happen  that  seem  improbable  to  the  minds  of  those 
who  dwell  close  to  the  heart  of  civilization.  The 
mysterious  Isle  of  Tears  is  not  altogether  a  dream. 
There  are  several  islands  in  Polynesia  that  have 
been  looked  upon  from  time  immemorial  as  islands 
of  the  dead.  These  places  are  shunned  by  the 
islanders,  and  the  centuries  have  invested  them 
with  the  same  atmosphere  of  brooding  mystery 
that  Professor  Herndon  and  his  party  felt  when 
they  landed  upon  the  silent  isle  where  the  Wizards 
of  the  Centipede  performed  their  weird  rites  with 
out  interference  from  the  outside  world. 

Nor  is  the  Vermilion  Pit  created  out  of  thin 
air.  The  savage  has  used  many  startling  methods 
to  separate  the  born  warrior  from  the  coward,  and 
the  author  has  seen  a  place  just  as  wonderful  as  the 
pit,  where  the  young  men  of  the  tribe  were  tested 

ix 


x  PREFACE 

in  the  same  manner  as  that  related  in  this  story. 
The  cunning  savage  has  always  thought  it  inad 
visable  to  pick  his  fighting  men  till  their  courage 
had  been  thoroughly  tested,  and  in  dull  days  of 
peace  the  headmen  of  the  tribes  racked  their  brains 
to  discover  nerve-shaking  ordeals  to  try  the  daring 
of  the  growing  youth.  The  safety  of  the  tribe  de 
pended  upon  the  valour  of  the  fighting  line,  and  it 
would  have  been  an  inexcusable  blunder  to  put  the 
nervous  ones  in  the  front  rank. 

The  strange  stone  structures  similar  to  the  one 
upon  which  Holman  and  Verslun  narrowly  escaped 
being  offered  up  as  sacrifices  to  the  Centipede  are 
to  be  found  in  many  islands  of  the  Pacific  at  the 
present  day.  In  the  Tongan,  Caroline,  and  Cook 
groups  these  peculiar  stone  ruins  remain  as  evidence 
of  the  existence  of  an  ancient  people  of  superior 
intelligence  to  the  islanders  of  to-day.  As  to  the 
meaning  or  use  of  these  structures  we  are  entirely 
in  the  dark.  The  natives  of  these  groups  know 
nothing  concerning  them,  and  the  Polynesian  builder 
in  that  dark  past  was  too  busy  clubbing  and  eating 
his  neighbour  to  write  histories.  Scientists  are  in 
doubt,  as  in  the  case  of  the  great  ruins  at  Metal- 
anim,  whether  they  were  built  as  sacrificial  altars 
or  as  monuments  to  ambitious  chiefs,  and  there 
are  no  records  to  enlighten  us.  But  these  relics 
are  convincing  proofs  that  the  islands  have  been 


PREFACE  xi 

inhabited  for  many  hundreds  of  years,  and  we  are 
left  to  conjecture  regarding  the  origin  and  history 
of  the  people. 

The  Dance  of  the  Centipede,  which  Holman  and 
Verslun  witnessed  in  the  Long  Gallery,  can  be  seen 
to-day  by  any  tourist  who  leaves  the  beaten  paths. 
Every  missionary  to  the  islands  can  tell  of  "devil 
dances"  that  take  place  in  secluded  groves,  and  in 
which,  to  his  great  disgust,  his  converts  often  take 
part.  It  takes  time  to  turn  the  savage  from  his 
old  beliefs.  Although  the  South  Seas  constitute 
the  last  fortress  of  romance,  and  a  mention  of  the 
coral  atolls  immediately  conjures  up  a  vision  of 
palms  and  rice-white  beaches,  the  sensitive  person 
senses  the  dark  and  bloody  past  when  the  wizard 
men  were  the  rulers,  and  death  stalked  in  the  palm 
groves. 

J.  F.  D. 
New  York, 

March,  1912. 


<=** 

CONTENTS 

CHAPTER 

PAGE 

I. 

The  Song  of  the  Maori      . 

s    •      3 

II. 

The  Professor's  Daughters 

.     .     14 

III. 

A  Knife  From  the  Dark    . 

.    .    28 

TV 

40 

IV. 

V. 

I  Make  a  Promise 

54 

VI. 

The  Isle  of  Tears  . 

.      -      67 

VTT 

The  Pit 

.      .      83 

V  J.-L. 

VIII. 

The  Ledge  of  Death    . 

.       .      96 

IX. 

Into  the  Valley  of  Echoes  . 

.       .     107 

X. 

A  Midnight  Alarm 

.      .     119 

XL 

Kaipi  Performs  a  Service  . 

.     130 

XII. 

The  Devil  Dancers 

.     142 

XIII. 

Tombs  of  Silence  . 

.      .     156 

XIV. 

Back  to  the  Camp 

.       .     171 

XV. 

A  Day  of  Skirmishing 

.     181 

XVI. 

The  Stone  Table  . 

.       -     195 

CONTENTS 

XVII.  Beneath  the  Centipede       .       .       .  206 

XVIII.  Barbara's  Messenger   ....  219 

XIX.  Leith  Scores 230 

XX.  The  Black  Kindergarten    .        .        .  244 

XXI.  Together  Again 250 

XXII.  The  White  Waterfall   ....  260 

XXIII.  The  Wizard's  Seat        ....  268 
XXIV.  The  Way  to  Heaven    ....  282 


C _z 


ILLUSTRATIONS 


',< '  Hold  me  tight,  Verslun ! '  he  cried.      <  Hold 

me  tight,  man!  I  have  him!'   '  .     .     Frontispiece 


FACING  PAGE 


We  halted  at  midday  in  an  ugly-looking 
spot  far  up  the  shoulder  of  the  mountain"  86 

Behind  the  bobbing  lamp  was  the  brute 
who  held  us  in  his  grip" 164 

They  confabbed  in  the  centre  of  the  clear 
ing  and  then  hailed  the  table  in  the 
strange  tongue" 216 


THE  WHITE  WATERFALL 


CHAPTER  I 

THE    SONG    OF    THE    MAORI 

THERE  is  a  Tongan  proverb  which  tells  us 
that  only  fools  and  children  lie  awake  dur 
ing  hours  that  could  be  devoted  to  slumber, 
and  it  is  a  wise  proverb  when  you  judge  it  from  a 
Polynesian  standpoint.  No  special  preparations 
are  required  for  slumber  in  the  last  haunts  of  Ro 
mance,  and  as  one  does  not  lose  caste  by  dozing  in 
public,  the  South  Sea  dweller  sees  no  reason  for 
remaining  awake  when  he  could  be  peacefully  sleep 
ing.  The  shade  of  a  palm  tree  furnishes  an  ideal 
resting  place,  and  if  a  dog  fight  occurs  in  the  grass- 
grown  street,  he  becomes  a  box-seat  spectator  with 
out  moving  from  his  couch. 

3 


4  THE  WHITE  WATERFALL 

Levuka,  the  second  largest  town  in  the  Fijis,  was 
dozing  on  the  afternoon  of  December  14,  1905,  and 
I  decided  to  follow  the  example  set  by  the  inhabi 
tants.  The  thermometer  in  the  shack  at  the  end  of 
the  wharf  registered  98  degrees,  but  the  picturesque 
little  town,  with  its  white  and  vermilion-tinted 
houses,  looked  restful  and  cool.  The  hot,  still  at 
mosphere  weighed  down  upon  the  Pacific,  ironing 
out  the  wind  ruffles  till  the  ocean  resembled  a  plain 
of  glass,  in  which  the  Union  Company's  steamer 
Navua,  from  Auckland,  appeared  to  be  stuck  fast, 
as  if  the  glassy  sea  had  suddenly  hardened  around 
her  black  hull. 

A  thin  strip  of  shadow  huddled  close  to  a  pile  of 
pearl  shell  at  the  end  of  the  wharf,  and  I  doubled 
myself  up  and  attempted  to  sleep.  But  hardwood 
planks  don't  make  an  ideal  resting  place.  Besides, 
the  rays  of  sun  followed  the  strip  of  shadow  around 
the  pile,  and  each  time  I  slipped  into  a  doze  I  would 
be  pricked  into  wakefulness.  At  last,  maddened  by 
the  biting  rays,  I  collected  half  a  dozen  copra  bags, 
splintered  a  piece  of  kauri  pine,  and  after  rigging  up 
one  bag  as  an  awning,  I  spread  the  others  on  the 
planks  and  fell  asleep. 

But  another  disturbing  element  awakened  me 
from  a  short  slumber.  From  the  sea  end  of  the 
deserted  wharf  came  a  big,  greasy  Maori  and  a  fuzzy- 
headed  Fijian,  and  their  words  went  out  into  the 


THE  SONG  OF  THE  MAORI  5 

silence  like  sound  projectiles.  The  Maori  had  such 
a  high-pitched  voice  that  I  thought,  as  I  rolled  over 
restlessly,  he  would  only  have  to  raise  it  a  little  to 
make  them  hear  him  up  in  Sydney,  eighteen  hun 
dred  miles  away.  It  was  one  of  those  voices  that 
fairly  cavort  over  big  distances,  and  I  buried  my  head 
in  the  shell  as  the  pair  came  closer. 

It  was  useless  to  attempt  to  shut  out  that  voice. 
I  stuffed  a  piece  of  bag  into  the  ear  that  wasn't 
jammed  against  the  pearl  shell,  but  the  noise  of 
that  fool  talking  fairly  sizzled  in  my  brain.  Finally 
I  gave  up  all  hopes  of  trying  to  sleep  till  the  pair  had 
left  the  wharf,  and  I  lay  upon  my  back  as  they  came 
slowly  up  the  sun-bitten  structure. 

It  was  only  when  I  gave  up  all  thoughts  of  sleep 
that  I  recognized  that  the  Maori  was  talking  Eng 
lish.  Up  to  that  moment  I  thought  the  pair  were 
arguing  in  some  unfamiliar  tongue,  but  suddenly 
their  conversation  gripped  me,  and  I  strained  my 
ears  to  listen. 

"There's  the  white  waterfall,"  chanted  the  Maori. 

"Yes,  the  white  waterfall,"  repeated  the  Fijian. 

"An'  you  go  along  sixty  paces." 

"To  the  right?"  questioned  the  Fijian. 

"No!  To  the  left,  you  fool!"  screamed  his  com 
panion. 

"All  right,  you  go  to  the  left,"  muttered  the  re 
buked  one. 


6  THE  WHITE  WATERFALL 

"An'  that's  the  way  to  heaven!"  cried  the  Maori. 
"The  way  to  heaven,"  echoed  the  Fijian;  then  the 
two  lifted  up  their  voices  and  chanted: 

"That's  the  way  to  heaven, 
That's  the  way  to  heaven, 
That's  the  way  to  heaven  out 
Of  Black  Fernando's  hell." 

The  incident  stirred  my  curiosity.  If  I  had  only 
heard  the  words  of  the  chant  I  would  not  have 
puzzled  my  brain  to  determine  their  meaning,  but 
it  was  the  manner  in  which  the  Maori  instructed  his 
friend  as  to  the  direction  in  which  one  must  walk 
from  the  white  waterfall  that  made  me  interested.  I 
turned  the  words  over  in  my  mind  as  I  watched  them 
saunter  slowly  toward  me.  Black  Fernando's  hell 
and  the  white  waterfall  were  places  that  I  had  never 
heard  of.  I  thought  of  all  the  missionary  hymns 
that  I  had  ever  listened  to  afloat  and  ashore,  but  the 
lines  that  the  pair  had  chanted  were  not  familiar. 

The  two  walked  on  in  silence  for  a  few  minutes  after 
they  had  lifted  up  their  voices  in  the  chant,  then  the 
Maori  began  to  cross-question  his  companion  con 
cerning  the  information  he  had  just  given  him. 

"How  many  paces?"  he  asked. 

"Sixty,"  answered  the  Fijian. 

"To  the  right,  isn't  it?" 

"Yes,  to  the  right,"  stammered  the  learner. 


THE  SONG  OF  THE  MAORI  7 

"You  fool  nigger!"  screamed  the  instructor.  "It 
is  to  the  left,  pig!  Do  you  hear  me?  You  must 
go  to  the  left  from  the  white  waterfall!  Oh,  you 
blinded  fool!  you  make  me  sick!  Sing  it  now  with 
me!" 

The  Fijian,  who  was  apparently  afraid  of  the 
bully,  hurried  to  obey  the  order,  and  I  wondered 
as  I  listened. 

"Sixty  paces  to  the  left,"  squeaked  the  Fijian. 

"  Sixty  paces  to  the  left,"  roared  the  Maori.  "  Now 
together! 

"That's  the  way  to  heaven, 
That's  the  way  to  heaven, 
That's  the  way  to  heaven  out 
Of " 

I  was  the  cause  of  the  interruption.  I  lifted  my 
self  into  a  sitting  position,  and  the  movement  dis 
turbed  the  heap  of  shell.  Part  of  the  pile  rattled 
down  upon  the  planks  of  the  wharf,  and  the  Maori 
and  his  pupil  stopped  singing  and  stared  at  me  as  if 
they  were  much  surprised  at  finding  any  one  within 
hearing  distance.  The  wharf  had  appeared  deserted, 
and  I  gave  them  a  start  by  crawling  from  under 
neath  the  awning  I  had  made  from  the  copra 
bag.  The  Maori  wore  a  dirty  khaki  coat,  with  a 
pair  of  trousers  reaching  to  his  knees,  while  the 
Fijian,  instead  of  being  short-rigged  in  shirt  and  sulu, 
sported  a  full  suit  of  duck. 


8  THE  WHITE  WATERFALL 

"Good  afternoon,  boss,"  said  the  Maori,  trying 
to  wipe  the  look  of  surprise  from  his  face  with  a 
grin.  "Mighty  hot  afternoon,  isn't  it,  boss?" 

"It  is,"  I  answered.  "If  I  knew  where  that 
white  waterfall  is  I'd  go  and  stand  under  it  for  a 
few  minutes." 

The  small  Fijian  gave  a  little  gurgle  of  surprise 
and  looked  up  at  his  big  teacher,  who  regarded  me 
with  eyes  of  wonder. 

"What  white  waterfall,  boss?"  he  asked  blandly. 

"The  one  you  were  singing  about,"  I  cried. 

The  Maori  smiled  sweetly.  "We  weren't  sing 
ing  about  a  white  waterfall,  boss,"  he  spluttered. 
"I  just  guess  you  were  asleep  an'  dreamed  some 
thing." 

That  didn't  improve  my  temper.  I  had  an  edge 
on  the  fellow  on  account  of  the  high-powered  voice 
he  owned,  so  when  he  suggested  that  I  had  been 
dreaming,  I  climbed  to  my  feet  so  that  I  could 
make  my  words  more  impressive  when  I  started  to 
tell  him  my  opinion  of  his  bluff. 

The  action  startled  the  Fijian.  He  had  an  idea 
that  I  was  going  to  use  the  piece  of  kauri  pine  upon 
his  head,  so  he  gave  a  yell  and  started  full  speed  up 
the  wharf  toward  the  town.  The  Maori  stood  his 
ground  for  a  minute,  then  he  made  a  face  to  express 
his  contempt  for  me  and  bolted  after  his  mate.  I 
stared  at  his  bare  legs  walloping  the  planks,  and 


THE  SONG  OF  THE  MAORI  9 

feeling  certain  that  I  had  lost  all  chance  of  finding 
out  where  the  white  waterfall  and  Black  Fernando's 
hell  were  situated,  I  found  a  new  shadow  patch  and 
lay  down  again. 

I  fell  asleep  and  dreamed  that  I  was  chasing  those 
two  islanders  in  an  endeavour  to  find  out  the  mean 
ing  of  their  mysterious  chant,  but  just  as  I  had  over 
taken  the  pair,  some  one  gripped  my  arm  and  shook 
me  gently. 

When  I  opened  my  eyes  I  looked  up  into  the  face 
of  a  good-looking  young  fellow  of  about  two  and 
twenty  years,  who  was  smiling  broadly  as  if  he 
thought  it  a  great  joke  to  wake  a  man  out  of  a  sound 
sleep  on  a  hot  afternoon. 

"Are  you  Jack  Verslun?"  he  asked. 

I  nodded.  It  was  too  warm  to  use  words  reck 
lessly. 

"Pierre  the  Rat  sent  me  after  you,"  he  continued. 

"Why?"  I  asked. 

"I  have  a  berth  for  you,"  he  answered.  "I'm 
from  The  Waif.  The  mate  died  on  the  run  down 
from  Sydney,  and  Captain  Newmarch  sent  me  ashore 
to  hunt  up  some  one  for  his  perch.  Do  you  want  it  ? " 

"Where  are  you  bound?"  I  asked. 

"Manihiki  group." 

"What  for?" 

"Science  expedition  under  the  direction  of  Pro 
fessor  Herndon  of  San  Francisco." 


io  THE  WHITE  WATERFALL 

I  sat  up  and  looked  across  the  stretch  of  water  at 
The  Waif,  and  the  young  fellow  waited  patiently. 
I  knew  the  yacht.  An  English  baronet  had  brought 
the  vessel  out  from  Cowes  to  Brisbane,  but  he  had 
made  the  pace  too  hot  in  the  Colonies.  Out  in 
Fortitude  Valley  one  night  the  keeper  of  a  saloon 
fired  a  bullet  into  his  aristocratic  head,  and  The 
Waif  was  auctioned.  She  had  taken  a  hand  in  a 
number  of  games  after  that.  A  fast  yacht  is  a  handy 
vessel  south  of  the  line,  and  some  queer  tales  were 
told  about  the  boat  that  had  once  shown  her  heels 
to  the  cracker] acks  in  the  Solent.  But  I  couldn't 
afford  to  be  particular  at  that  moment.  Levuka 
isn't  the  spot  where  a  man  can  pick  and  choose,  so 
I  wiped  the  shell  grit  from  my  drill  suit  and  told 
myself  that  I  had  better  accept  the  berth  instead  of 
waiting  in  expectation  of  something  better  turn 
ing  up.  Pierre  the  Rat,  who  ran  "The  Rathole," 
where  penniless  seamen  and  beachcombers  lodged, 
was  my  creditor,  and  when  Pierre  was  very  so 
licitous  in  obtaining  employment  for  one  of  his 
boarders,  it  was  a  mighty  good  intimation  that 
the  boarder's  credit  had  reached  highwater 
mark. 

"Well,"  I  said,  climbing  to  my  feet," I  might  as 
well  take  it.  I  thought  I  had  enough  of  the  Islands, 
but  as  this  has  turned  up  I'm  your  man.  Say," 
I  added,  "did  you  ever  read  'Pilgrim's  Progress'?" 


THE  SONG  OF  THE  MAORI  n 

The  young  fellow  looked  at  me  and  grinned. 
';  Yes,  I  did,"  he  answered. 

"Do  you  remember  much  of  it?"  I  asked. 

"Not  much,"  he  replied. 

"Is  there  anything  in  it  about  a  white  waterfall 
that  is  on  the  way  to  heaven  out  of  Black  Fer- 
nando's  hell?"  I  questioned. 

The  youngster  put  his  head  on  one  side  and  looked 
as  if  he  was  turning  things  over  in  his  mental  store 
house,  then  he  gave  me  a  quick,  shrewd  glance  and 
burst  out  laughing. 

"Well?"  I  growled.     "What's  the  grin  for?" 

"What  has  Bunyan  got  to  do  with  my  business?" 
he  asked.  "I  came  to  sign  you  up  for  a  mate's  job 
on  The  Waif,  and  I  am  in  a  hurry." 

"Yes,  I  know,"  I  grumbled,  "but  I  thought  you 
might  have  heard  something  of  a  white  waterfall. 
I'm  not  sure  that  it  is  mentioned  in  'Pilgrim's 
Progress,'  but  it  seems  to  taste  of  Bunyan." 

"P'raps  so,"  said  the  youngster,  "but  Bunyan 
isn't  in  our  line  at  present.  Captain  Newmarch 
told  me  to  hurry  back  to  the  yacht,  as  he  wants  to 
get  away  by  sunset,  so  if  you're  ready  we'll  make  a 
start.  My  name  is  Holman,  Will  Holman." 

We  walked  up  the  quiet  street  together  and  I 
began  to  like  Will  Holman.  One  couldn't  help 
but  like  him.  He  had  the  frank,  open  ways  of  a 
boy,  but  the  cut  of  his  jaw  and  the  manner  in  which 


12  THE  WHITE  WATERFALL 

he  minted  his  words  led  you  to  believe  that  he 
would  give  a  man's  account  of  himself  if  any  one 
pushed  him  up  against  a  wall.  While  he  made  some 
purchases  in  the  little  stores,  I  went  up  to  the  broken- 
down  shanty  where  Pierre  the  Rat  ran  his  house 
of  refuge,  and,  after  I  had  collected  my  few  be 
longings,  I  went  back  to  the  wharf,  where  a  boat 
from  The  Waif  was  waiting  to  take  us  aboard  the 
yacht. 

It  was  when  I  was  climbing  into  the  boat  that  I 
got  a  surprise.  One  of  the  two  natives  at  the  oars 
was  the  little  Fijian  who  had  been  the  pupil  of  the 
Maori,  but  he  didn't  bat  an  eyelash  when  I  stared 
at  him. 

"What's  up?"  asked  Holman.  "Do  you  know 
Toni?" 

"He's  one  of  the  brace  that  were  singing  that 
song  about  the  white  waterfall,"  I  growled. 

The  Fijian  let  out  a  volley  of  indignant  denials, 
and  Holman  laughed. 

"You  might  be  mistaken,"  he  said.  "Toni  came 
ashore  with  me  about  two  hours  ago,  but  1  don't 
think  he  left  the  boat." 

"I'm  not  mistaken,"  I  said,  as  the  Fijian  kept  on 
protesting  that  he  had  never  moved  from  the  boat, 
"but  it  doesn't  matter  much.  Let  it  go." 

We  were  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  from  the  shore 
when  a  man  raced  down  from  the  town,  ran  along 


THE  SONG  OF  THE  MAORI  13 

to  the  sea  end  of  the  wharf  and  waved  his  arms  as  if 
he  was  signalling  us.  Holman  turned  and  looked 
at  him. 

"I  wonder  who  it  is?"  he  muttered.  "Perhaps 
it  is  somebody  with  your  board  bill,  Verslun." 

I  started  to  laugh,  then  I  stopped  suddenly.  The 
man  on  the  wharf  was  shouting  to  us,  and  when  my 
ears  caught  a  word  I  recognized  him.  It  was  the 
big  Maori  who  had  been  instructing  the  Fijian  earlier 
in  the  afternoon. 

I  told  Holman,  and  he  looked  at  Toni,  but  Toni's 
face  was  blank.  For  some  reason  or  other  he  wished 
to  ignore  his  instructor  who  was  screaming  on  the 
end  of  the  wharf. 

"He  must  be  mad,"  muttered  Holman.  "The 
darned  fool  thinks  we-  Listen!" 

A  land  breeze  brought  the  last  line  of  the  chant 
to  our  ears  as  we  neared  The  fF'aif,  and  the  words 
seemed  to  stir  me  curiously  as  they  swirled  around 
us.  I  had  a  desire  to  memorize  the  chant,  and  even 
after  we  had  got  out  of  range  of  the  high-powered 
voice  of  the  singer  I  found  myself  murmuring  over 
and  over  again  the  words: 

"That's  the  way  to  heaven  out 
Of  Black  Fernando's  hell." 


Pfflfl" 


CHAPTER  II 

THE  PROFESSOR'S  DAUGHTERS 

IN    THE    old    days,    when    slave-carrying   was 
a    game    followed    by   gentlemen    with    nerve, 
the    officer    with    the    best     nose    on    board 
the  man-o'-war  that  overhauled  a  suspected  slave 
carrier   was   always    sent   aboard   to   make   an   ex 
amination.     It  was  his  business  to  sniff  at  the  air 
in  the  hold  in  an  endeavour  to  distinguish  the  "slave 
smell."     No  matter  how  the  wily  slaver  disinfected 
the  place,  the  odour  of  caged  niggers  remained,  and 
a  long-nosed  investigator  could  always  detect  it. 

Now  the  trouble  odour  on  board  a  ship  is  the  same 
as  the  slave  smell.     An  experienced  investigator  can 

14 


THE  PROFESSOR'S  DAUGHTERS  15 

detect  it  immediately,  and  when  I  climbed  over 
the  low  bulwarks  of  The  Waif  I  got  a  whiff.  I 
couldn't  tell  exactly  where  it  was,  but  I  knew  that 
Dame  Trouble  was  aboard  the  craft.  It's  a  sort 
of  sixth  sense  with  a  sailorman  to  be  able  to  detect 
a  stormy  atmosphere,  and  I  felt  that  the  yacht 
wasn't  the  place  that  the  dove  of  peace  would  choose 
as  a  permanent  abode.  I  don't  know  how  the  in 
formation  came  to  me.  It  seemed  to  filter  in  through 
the  pores  of  my  skin,  but  it  was  information  that 
I  felt  sure  was  correct. 

Captain  Newmarch  was  a  bilious  Englishman 
with  a  thin,  scrawny  beard.  He  endeavoured  to 
make  one  word  do  the  work  of  two  —  or  three  if 
they  were  very  short  words  —  and  working  up  a  con 
versation  with  him  was  as  tough  a  job  as  one  could 
lay  hold  of.  Sometimes  a  word  came  to  the  tip  of 
his  tongue,  felt  the  atmosphere,  as  you  might  say, 
then  slid  back  into  his  throat  with  a  little  protesting 
gurgle,  and  after  a  ten  minutes'  conversation  with 
him,  those  little  gurgles  from  the  strangled  words 
made  me  look  upon  him  as  a  sort  of  morgue  for 
murdered  sentences. 

Professor  Herndon,  the  head  of  the  expedition, 
was  on  the  deck  when  the  captain  and  I  came  up 
out  of  the  cabin,  and  Herndon  was  everything  the 
comic  papers  show  in  the  make-up  of  science  pro 
fessors,  with  a  little  bit  extra  for  good  luck.  He 


16  THE  WHITE  WATERFALL 

was  sixty  inches  of  nerves,  wrinkles,  and  whiskers, 
with  special  adornments  in  the  shape  of  a  blue 
smoking  cap,  and  a  pair  of  spectacles  with  specially 
ground  lenses  of  an  enormous  thickness. 

Newmarch  grunted  something  which  the  Pro 
fessor  and  I  took  to  be  an  introduction,  and  he  put 
a  skinny  hand  into  mine. 

"You  have  been  a  long  while  in  the  Islands?" 
he  squeaked. 

"Longer  than  I  care  to  say,"  I  replied. 

"Have  you  been  around  the  spot  we  are  making 
for?"  he  asked. 

"I  was  on  Penrhyn  Island  for  three  months,"  I 
answered.  "I  was  helping  a  German  scientist  who 
was  studying  the  family  habits  of  turtles." 

I  made  a  foolish  break  by  admitting  that  I  pos 
sessed  any  knowledge  of  Polynesia.  The  Professor 
had  left  his  home  at  sunny  Sausalito,  on  the  shores 
of  San  Francisco  Bay,  in  search  of  that  kind  of  stuff, 
and  before  I  could  do  a  conversational  backstep  he 
had  pushed  me  against  the  side  of  the  galley  and  was 
deluging  me  with  questions,  the  answers  to  which 
he  entered  in  shorthand  in  a  notebook  that  was 
bulkier  than  a  Dutchman's  Bible.  The  old  spec 
tacled  ancient  could  fire  more  queries  in  three 
minutes  than  any  human  gatling  that  ever  gripped 
a  brief,  and  I  looked  around  for  relief. 

And  the  wonder  is  that  the  relief  came.     I  for- 


THE  PROFESSOR'S  DAUGHTERS  17 

got  the  Professor  and  his  anxiety  concerning  the 
"temba-temba"  devil  dance  when  my  eyes  hap 
pened  to  catch  sight  of  the  vision  that  was  approach 
ing  from  the  companionway.  A  boat  carrying  a 
science  expedition  to  one  of  the  loneliest  groups  in 
the  Pacific  was  not  the  place  where  one  would 
expect  to  find  the  handsomest  girl  in  all  the  world, 
and  my  tongue  refused  to  mould  my  words.  The 
girl  was  tall,  of  graceful  build,  and  possessed  of  a 
quiet  beauty  that  had  a  most  peculiar  effect  upon 
me.  Only  that  afternoon,  as  I  lay  in  the  shadow  of 
the  pile  of  pearl  shell  on  Levuka  wharf,  I  had  thought 
of  crossing  to  Auckland  and  shipping  up  to  'Frisco 
so  that  I  could  hear  good  women  laugh  and  talk 
as  I  had  heard  them  in  my  dreams  during  the  years 
I  had  spent  around  the  Islands,  and  now  the  woman 
of  my  dreams  was  in  front  of  me.  But  I  was  afraid 
of  her.  When  she  came  toward  me  I  thought  of 
the  years  I  had  wasted  down  in  that  lonely  quarter 
where  ambition  is  strangled  by  lassitude  bred  in 
tropical  sunshine,  and  the  ghost  of  the  man  I  might 
have  been  banged  me  fair  between  the  two  eyes. 

"My  daughter,  Miss  Edith  Herndon,"  squeaked 
the  Professor,  and  when  I  put  out  my  big  hand  to 
take  her  little  one  I  thought  I'd  fall  down  on  the 
deck  on  account  of  the  Niagara  of  blood  that 
seemed  to  rush  to  my  brain. 

It's  funny  how  all  the  little  imperfections  in  your 


iS  THE  WHITE  WATERFALL 

dress  and  manner  rise  up  suddenly  and  bang  you 
hard  on  the  bump  of  observation  when  you  find 
yourself  in  front  of  some  one  whose  good  opinion 
you  want  to  earn.  I  felt  it  so  the  moment  I  stood 
before  the  girl  in  the  cream  serge  suit.  My  drill 
outfit,  that  I  had  thought  rather  clean  when  I 
brushed  the  shell  grit  from  it  after  my  sleep  on 
the  wharf,  looked  as  black  as  the  devil's  tail  when 
she  appeared.  My  hands  appeared  to  be  several 
degrees  larger  than  the  prize  hams  that  come  out 
of  Kansas,  and  my  tongue,  as  if  it  recognized  the 
stupidity  of  the  remarks  I  attempted  to  make, 
started  to  play  fool  stunts  as  if  it  wanted  to  go 
down  my  throat  and  choke  me  to  death. 

The  girl  guessed  the  sort  of  predicament  I  was  in  at 
that  moment.  God  only  knows  how  many  months 
had  passed  since  I  had  spoken  to  a  woman  like  her. 
Not  that  good  women  are  lacking  in  the  Islands,  but 
because  they  were  on  a  different  plane  to  me.  I 
had  been  belting  native  crews  on  trading  schooners 
between  the  Carolines  and  the  Marquesas,  and 
when  ashore  I  had  little  opportunity  for  speaking 
to  a  woman  of  the  type  of  Edith  Herndon. 

And  she  understood  the  feeling  that  held  me 
tongue-tied.  To  make  me  feel  at  my  ease  she 
started  to  tell  of  everything  that  had  happened 
from  the  moment  that  The  Waif  had  cleared  Sydney 
Heads,  and  the  time  she  spent  in  that  recital  was  as 


THE  PROFESSOR'S  DAUGHTERS  19 

precious  to  me  as  the  two-minute  interval  between 
rounds  is  to  a  prize-fighter  who  has  been  knocked 
silly  the  moment  before  the  round  ends.  I  had 
shaken  the  dizziness  out  of  my  head  when  she 
finished,  and  I  had  obtained  control  over  my  tongue. 

"You  must  tell  us  a  lot  about  the  South  Seas," 
she  cried.  "You  have  been  down  here  such  a  long 
time  that  you  must  have  many  interesting  things 
to  relate.  Captain  Newmarch  will  not  talk,  and 
Mr.  Leith  refuses  to  see  anything  picturesque  in 
the  sights  he  has  seen  during  his  wanderings." 

"Who  is  Mr.  Leith?"  I  asked. 

"He  is  father's  partner  in  this  expedition,"  she 
said  quietly.  "He  has  lived  down  here  for  many 
years,  but  he  will  not  tell  us  much.  And  Barbara 
is  anxious  to  know  everything  she  can." 

"Barbara?"  I  stammered.  "Then  —  then  there 
is  another  lady  aboard?" 

"Oh,  yes!  my  sister,"  cried  the  girl.  "I  think  I 
hear  her  coming  now." 

There  was  no  question  about  the  latter  part  of 
her  remark.  A  burst  of  laughter  that  was  more 
infectious  than  influenza  came  from  the  companion- 
stairs,  and  immediately  in  its  wake  came  a  girl  who 
made  me  think,  as  I  compared  her  to  Miss  Edith, 
of  a  beautiful  yacht  alongside  a  stately  liner.  Bar 
bara  Herndon  was  sunshine  personified.  Laughter 
went  with  her  wherever  she  went,  and  a  pair  of 


20  THE  WHITE  WATERFALL 

Tongans,  polishing  brasses,  immediately  put  their 
molars  on  view,  as  if  they  had  understood  what 
caused  the  smiles  upon  her  pretty  face  as  she  came 
toward  us. 

"Oh,  you  are  the  new  mate?"  she  cried,  as  I  was 
introduced.  "Mr.  Holman  was  just  telling  me 
about  you.  He  said  that  you  repeated  a  chapter 
of  'Pilgrim's  Progress'  every  time  you  woke  up  after 
a  sleep." 

I  blushed  as  I  made  a  mental  resolve  that  I  would 
punch  the  head  of  that  youngster  when  I  had  a 
suitable  opportunity,  and  in  between  my  stammering 
explanations  I  made  notes  on  the  differences  be 
tween  the  two  girls.  Edith  was  as  stately  as  Juno, 
with  a  face  that  was  so  sweet  and  restful  that  a 
glance  at  it  was  better  than  an  opiate  for  a  man 
whose  nerves  were  all  out  of  tune.  She  had  that 
kind  of  repose  that  you  see  sometimes  on  the  face 
of  an  Oriental  statue,  the  repose  that  comes  to 
women  who  have  met  great  trials  or  for  whom 
great  trials  are  waiting.  Barbara  was  altogether  dif 
ferent.  She  found  the  world  rather  an  amusing 
place,  and  it  seemed  as  if  she  took  it  for  granted 
that  her  sister  was  capable  of  shouldering  the  cares 
of  the  family,  leaving  her  free  to  smile  at  all  the 
amusing  incidents  she  found  in  the  course  of  the  day. 

It  appeared  to  me  that  I  was  an  amusing  incident 
to  her  at  that  moment.  She  returned  to  the  fool 


THE  PROFESSOR'S  DAUGHTERS  21 

story  that  Holman  had  told,  and  I  couldn't  side 
step  her  questions. 

"But  it  is  true  that  you  were  quoting  Bunyan  on 
the  wharf  when  Mr.  Holman  found  you,  isn't  it?" 
she  asked  mischievously. 

"No,  it  isn't  true,"  I  spluttered.  "I  only  asked 
Mr.  Holman  a  question  to  see  if  he  was  familiar 
with  'Pilgrim's  Progress'." 

"Why  did  you  ask  him  that?"  she  quizzed. 
"I'm  sure  he  looks  a  perfectly  respectable  young 
man." 

Miss  Edith  was  smiling,  but  she  took  pity  upon 
me  at  last  and  endeavoured  to  rescue  me  from  my 
tormentor. 

"Oh,  Barbara!"  she  cried  reprovingly,  "Mr.  Vers- 
lun  will  think  you  are  very  inquisitive.  You  must 
not  pry  into  his  private  affairs." 

"But  it  is  nothing  private,"  I  gurgled.  "I  sim 
ply  asked  Mr.  Holman  a  question  in  an  endeavour 
to  find  out  what  a  Maori  and  a  Fijian  were  talking 
about." 

"Oh,  it  is  something  mysterious!"  cried  the 
younger  girl.  "I  knew  it!  I  knew  it!  We  are 
getting  into  the  region  of  mystery  at  last!  Oh,  Mr. 
Verslun,  you  are  a  perfect  treasure!  It  has  been  a 
nasty,  dull,  old  trip  from  the  moment  we  left  Sydney 
Harbour,  and  you  are  the  first  person  to  bring  a  little 
colour  into  the  voyage." 


22  THE  WHITE  WATERFALL 

She  was  so  worked  up  at  the  thought  of  hearing 
something  wonderfully  mysterious  and  romantic 
that  I  started  to  make  a  long  yarn  out  of  that  in 
cident  on  the  wharf  just  for  her  benefit.  Miss 
Edith  was  interested  too,  but  I  was  convinced,  as 
I  polished  up  the  points  of  the  little  tale  and  en 
deavoured  to  pull  in  a  thrill,  that  the  elder  sister 
was  deriving  her  pleasure  from  watching  the  face 
of  the  younger  one,  and  not  from  my  story. 

"It  pleases  Barbara,"  she  cried,  when  I  had  told 
how  Toni  had  denied  all  knowledge  of  his  friend, 
and  how  the  Maori  had  sent  the  farewell  chant 
after  the  boat.  "She  thinks  she  will  see  and  hear 
wonderful  things  before  we  get  back  to  civilization." 

"I  hope  she  will,"  I  said,  and  little  did  I  dream 
that  the  wish  I  expressed  at  that  moment  should 
come  true  in  such  a  remarkable  manner  before  we 
had  returned. 

"And  you  don't  know  what  they  meant  by  their 
song  about  the  white  waterfall  and  Black  Fernando's 
hell?"  murmured  Barbara. 

"No,  I  don't,"  I  replied.  "The  Maori  ran  away 
when  I  attempted  to  cross-examine  him,  and  Toni 
denies  all  knowledge  of  the  duet  on  the  wharf." 

"Oh,  we  must  ask  him  again!"  she  cried.  "There 
he  is  near  the  wheel.  I'll  go  and  bring  him!" 

She  raced  madly  after  the  Fijian  and  hauled  him 
before  us  in  triumph.  I  was  more  convinced  than 


THE  PROFESSOR'S  DAUGHTERS  23 

ever  that  it  was  Toni  who  had  blundered  over  his 
lesson  on  the  wharf,  but  Toni  denied  the  charge 
more  vehemently  than  he  did  on  the  boat.  He 
asserted  in  reply  to  Barbara  Herndon's  questions, 
that  he  could  not  sing  a  note,  that  he  was  absolutely 
ignorant  of  white  waterfalls,  and  the  only  hell  he 
knew  was  the  one  spoken  of  by  the  missionary  in 
Lower  George  Street,  Sydney;  and  the  girl  sighed 
as  she  gave  up  the  effort. 

"It  seemed  such  a  nice  mystery  to  unravel,"  she 
murmured,  "but  if  Toni  persists  in  saying  that  he 
knows  nothing  of  the  white  waterfall  the  inves 
tigation  falls  to  the  ground." 

The  Fijian  was  backing  away  with  renewed  pro 
testations  when  a  head  came  round  the  corner  of 
the  galley,  and  a  voice  that  was  deeper  than  the 
caves  of  Atiu  fired  a  question  at  us. 

"What  about  the  white  waterfall?" 

"Oh,  Mr.  Leith,"  cried  Miss  Barbara,  "we  have 
just  been  investigating  a  mystery.  Mr.  Verslun  dis 
covered  it  this  afternoon  in  Levuka.  But  you 
haven't  met  Mr.  Verslun  yet,  have  you?" 

"I  haven't,"  growled  the  owner  of  the  voice. 

"Mr.  Verslun,  this  is  Mr.  Leith,  who  is  father's 
partner,"  said  Miss  Barbara.  "He  knows  a  lot 
about  the  Islands,  but  he  refuses  to  tell  any  of  his 
experiences." 

I  looked  at  the  man  who  stood  in  front  of  me,  and 


24  THE  WHITE  WATERFALL 

a  curious  thing  flashed  through  my  mind.  I  was 
reminded  at  that  moment  of  a  story  I  had  read  of 
a  man  charged  with  an  attempt  upon  the  life  of 
a  prince.  The  would-be  murderer  informed  the 
judge  that  a  terrible  hate  of  the  princeling  had 
gripped  him  the  moment  he  put  eyes  on  him,  and 
he  had  made  the  attempt  upon  his  life  before  he 
had  managed  to  control  the  unexplainable  surge 
of  hate.  I  understood  the  emotion  that  had  gripped 
that  unfortunate  as  I  stood  face  to  face  with  Leith. 
A  feeling  of  revulsion  gripped  me,  and  I  experienced 
a  peculiar  squalmy  sensation  as  I  took  his  hand. 
It  was  unexplainable.  Perhaps  some  ancestor  of 
mine  had  unsatisfactory  dealings  with  a  man  of 
the  same  unusual  type  in  a  faraway  past,  and  the 
transmitted  hate  had  suddenly  sprung  into  the 
conscious  area.  I  do  know  that  you  can  keep  a 
secretary-bird  away  from  snakes  till  it  grows  old, 
but  the  first  reptile  it  sees  it  immediately  starts 
out  to  beat  him  up.  I  had  the  inherited  hate 
that  makes  the  secretary-bird  rush  madly  at  a 
snake  that  may  be  the  first  of  its  species  that  it 
has  ever  seen,  and  I  guess  that  Leith  had  no 
love  to  spare  for  me  from  the  moment  he  took 
my  hand. 

He  was  a  huge  brute,  fully  six  feet  tall,  and  he 
was  the  possessor  of  two  of  the  strongest-looking 
hands  I  had  ever  seen.  They  were  claws,  that's 


THE  PROFESSOR'S  DAUGHTERS  25 

what  they  were.  The  great  fingers  were  slightly 
crooked,  as  if  waiting,  like  the  tentacles  of  an  oc 
topus,  for  something  to  get  in  their  grip.  The 
body  was  heavy,  and,  in  a  manner  that  I  cannot 
explain,  it  made  me  think  of  animals  that  lived  and 
died  in  long  past  ages.  The  big  brute  looked  so 
capable  of  making  an  inexcusable  attack  that  one's 
primitive  instincts  warned  one  to  keep  in  a  state  of 
readiness  for  the  onslaught  that  seemed  immi 
nent. 

But  it  was  the  face  that  was  specially  unattractive. 
It  was  a  sallow,  flat  face,  and  the  strange  eyes  did 
nothing  to  lighten  it.  They  were  dead,  lustreless 
eyes.  They  had  a  coldness  in  them  that  reminded 
me  of  the  icicle  eyes  of  the  crocodile,  and,  curiously, 
I  associated  that  reptile's  notions  of  fair  warfare 
with  Leith  as  I  looked  at  him.  That  sullen  face, 
with  the  eyes  that  would  never  brighten  at  a  tale 
of  daring,  or  dim  from  a  story  of  pathos,  belonged 
to  a  man  who  would  imitate  crocodile  tactics  by 
lying  quiet  till  his  prey  was  within  striking  dis 
tance. 

"  What  is  all  this  about  the  white  waterfall  ? "  he  re 
peated,  after  the  crooked  fingers  had  dropped  my 
hand. 

"Oh,  it's  something  that  happened  to  Mr.  Vers- 
lun,"  replied  Miss  Barbara. 

"Where?"  asked  Leith. 


26  THE  WHITE  WATERFALL 

"On  the  wharf  over  there,"  I  answered  coldly, 
nodding  toward  the  structure  as  I  spoke.  "It's 
really  nothing  important  though,  and  I  related  it 
solely  for  Miss  Herndon's  amusement." 

"But  Toni?"  he  growled,  turning  toward  the  two 
girls. 

"Oh,  Toni  puts  forward  an  alibi,"  laughed 
the  youngest  sister.  "He  asserts  that  he  was  in 
the  boat  when  the  incident  happened  and  he  per 
sists  in  saying  that  he  knows  nothing  about  the 
matter." 

Leith  again  turned  toward  me,  and  his  brows 
straightened  as  he  looked  me  in  the  eyes.  "Can't 
you  tell  the  story  over  again?"  he  asked. 

"I'd  rather  not,"  I  said,  somewhat  rudely.  "I'm 
tired  of  it.  It  was  really  only  a  small  happening 
that  I  am  afraid  I  expanded  a  little  in  an  endeavour 
to  thrill  Miss  Herndon,  and  the  story  is  now  her 
personal  property." 

"But  the  bare  facts?"  he  growled. 

"There  are  no  bare  facts,"  I  replied.  "I  covered 
them  with  fiction,  and  I  think  Miss  Herndon  is 
going  to  copyright  the  whole." 

He  took  the  remark  as  a  direct  refusal  on  my 
part  to  give  him  an  outline  of  the  affair  to  satisfy 
his  curiosity,  and  I  felt  elated  at  noting  the  sud 
den  glint  of  anger  that  appeared  in  the  lustreless 
eyes. 


THE  PROFESSOR'S  DAUGHTERS  27 

The  two  girls  stood  silent  for  a  moment  while 
Leith  and  I  surveyed  each  other  without  speaking, 
then  a  Tahitian  boy  broke  the  awkward  silence 
by  informing  me  that  the  captain  wished  to  see  me 
in  the  cabin,  and  I  hurriedly  excused  myself  to  the 
sisters  and  went  below. 


CHAPTER  III 

A    KNIFE    FROM    THE    DARK 

IT  WAS  after  nine  o'clock  that  evening 
before  I  again  saw  young  Holman,  and  by 
that  time  Levuka  was  far  behind.  We 
had  taken  advantage  of  a  stiff  breeze  that  had 
sprung  up  about  sunset,  and  The  Waif  was  plunging 
through  a  moon-washed  ocean,  sending  furrows  of 
foam  from  her  forefoot  while  the  wind  snored  through 
her  canvas.  I  forgot  the  happenings  of  the  day 
as  I  felt  the  quivering  vessel  that  seemed  to  thrill 
with  the  ecstasy  of  life  as  she  flung  herself  at  the 
watery  wastes  ahead.  The  tremor  in  her  boards 
seemed  to  crawl  into  my  body  and  warm  me  like 
wine,  and  I  felt  inclined  to  bless  Holman  instead 
of  punching  his  head  as  I  had  thought  of  doing  during 

28 


A  KNIFE  FROM  THE  DARK  29 

the  baiting  I  received  from  Miss  Barbara  Herndon. 
The  youngster  had  saved  me  from  days  and 
nights  of  weary  monotony  in  sleepy  Levuka,  and 
I  welcomed  him  gladly  as  he  joined  me  on  the 
poop. 

"Say,  you  made  a  hit  with  the  ladies!"  he  cried. 
"Your  fame  as  a  story-teller  is  set  upon  a  solid 
foundation.  And  I  don't  suppose  you  are  inclined 
to  thank  me  for  giving  you  the  opportunity  to  tell 
of  the  wonderful  things  that  happened  while  you 
slumbered  on  the  wharf?" 

"Drop  it,"  I  growled;  "I've  had  enough  of  the 
joke.  By  the  way,  what  position  do  you  hold  in 
the  expedition?" 

The  boy  laughed.  "I  hold  none,"  he  cried,  "but 
I'm  trying  to  make  myself  useful  to  the  Professor 
so  that  he'll  invite  me  to  come  ashore  with  him. 
The  Professor  and  his  daughters,  with  Leith  and 
half  a  dozen  natives,  comprise  the  full  strength  of 
the  expedition,  and  I'm  trying  hard  for  an  invitation 
to  the  field  of  wonders." 

"But  what  are  you  doing  aboard?"  I  asked. 

"My  uncle  owns  The  Waif,"  answered  the  young 
fellow,  "and  he  thought  this  trip  would  be  a  nice 
cheap  holiday  for  me.  I  wanted  to  take  a  run  to 
the  States,  but  that  would  have  cost  him  money, 
so  I  allowed  myself  to  be  forced  aboard  the  yacht. 
But,  Gee!  I'm  mighty  glad  I  came  now." 


30  THE  WHITE  WATERFALL 

I  glanced  at  his  face  as  we  turned  in  our  walk, 
but  he  moved  his  head  away  quickly. 

"So  it  has  been  pleasant?"  I  said. 

"Pleasant?"  he  cried.  "Why  it  has  been  a  little 
foretaste  of  heaven.  Say,  I  like  you,  and  I  know 
you  like  her  by  the  manner  in  which  you  explained 
everything  to  her.  Don't  you  think  she's  a  jolly 
nice  girl?" 

"Who?" 

"Why,  Miss  Barbara  Herndon,"  he  cried. 

"Oh!"  I  gurgled.  "You  took  me  by  surprise, 
and  I  hardly  knew  —  well,  I  didn't  know  what  had 
made  the  trip  so  pleasant." 

He  put  out  his  hand,  and  I  gripped  it  warmly. 
There  was  something  clean  and  good  about  the 
youngster.  When  he  glanced  up  at  me  as  I  took 
his  hand,  I  looked  into  a  face  that  was  as  open  as 
the  day  —  a  face  that  possessed  all  the  passionate 
purity  of  youth,  and  my  grip  was  sincere.  One 
didn't  ask  for  credentials  in  dealing  with  Will 
Holman. 

"I  liked  you  from  the  start,"  he  said,  "but 
I  wanted  the  opinion  of  the  girls.  That's  why 
I  put  Miss  Barbara  up  to  the  game  of  firing 
questions  at  you  about  that  silly  business  on  the 
wharf." 

"And  did  I  pass  muster?"  I  queried. 

"Sure  you  did!"  he  cried  enthusiastically.     "Miss 


A  KNIFE  FROM  THE  DARK  31 

Barbara  Herndon  says  that  you  are  true  blue,  and 
Miss  Edith  -  -  " 

He  stopped  and  looked  at  a  patch  of  shadow 
near  the  galley.  "Some  one  is  hiding  there,"  he 
whispered.  "I  saw  him  sneak  into  it." 

"Nonsense!"  I  growled.  "The  moon  and  some 
thing  else  are  affecting  your  brain." 

"But  I'm  sure  of  it,"  he  gasped. 

He  sprang  for  the  spot  as  he  finished  speaking,  but 
he  found  nothing.  He  returned  to  my  side  shaking 
his  head  as  if  only  half  convinced  about  the  matter. 

"Some  one  was  listening  to  us  talking,  but  who 
ever  it  was  he  managed  to  slip  away  while  we 
were  arguing  the  question." 

"Well,  he  didn't  learn  much,"  I  said.  "It  was 
probably  one  of  the  islanders,  and  you've  scared 
the  life  out  of  him  now. " 

Holman  gripped  my  arm  as  I  turned  away,  and 
he  put  a  question  in  a  tense  whisper. 

"What  do  you  think  of  Leith?"  he  asked. 

Somehow  the  question  did  not  surprise  me,  but 
I  was  not  in  a  hurry  to  give  my  opinion  of  the 
Professor's  partner. 

"I  have  only  spoken  a  few  words  to  him,"  I 
countered  cautiously. 

"But  your  impression?"  stammered  the  youngster. 
"Don't  you  think  —  well,  of  course  you  haven't  got 
the  lay  of  things  yet." 


32  THE  WHITE  WATERFALL 

I  smiled  at  the  guilelessness  of  the  boy  who  was 
making  a  confidant  of  a  stranger.  "What's  wrong 
with  Leith?"  I  asked.  "What  are  you  hinting  at?" 

Holman  glanced  at  the  Tongan  at  the  wheel, 
then  at  the  shadow  patch  that  had  disturbed  his 
nerves  a  few  moments  before. 

"He's  the  devil!"  he  whispered. 

I  felt  inclined  to  laugh.  Leith  was  certainly  not 
a  person  that  one  would  take  to  the  moment  an 
introduction  was  given,  but  the  manner  in  which 
the  young  fellow  had  imparted  his  opinion  was 
amusing.  But  it  was  evident  that  I  had  not  guessed 
wrong  when  I  divined  trouble  the  moment  I  came 
over  the  side  of  the  yacht. 

Holman  caught  my  coat  with  his  left  hand  as 
we  turned,  and  he  spoke  excitedly. 

"Do  you  know  what  we're  after?"  he  queried 
hoarsely. 

"It's  a  scientific  expedition,"  I  replied.  "That's 
what  you  and  Captain  Newmarch  told  me,  and  I 
have  not  questioned  any  one  else." 

"But  do  you  know  the  particular  line  we  are 
after?" 

"No,"  I  replied. 

"Well,  we're  after  skulls.  Leith  has  told  the 
Professor  about  some  ancient  boneyard  that  he 
knows  of,  and  he's  dragging  old  Herndon  down 
there." 


A  KNIFE  FROM  THE  DARK  33 

"I  cannot  see  the  crime  now,"  I  said.  "I've 
gone  after  skulls  before  to-day.  I  brought  a  hun 
dred  of  them  up  to  Vavau  for  a  German  scientist 
last  year.  He  was  taking  them  home  to  European 
museums  to  prove  that  the  Polynesians  of  ten 
centuries  back  had  bigger  brains  than  the  niggers 
of  to-day." 

"Yes,  I  know  that,"  gurgled  Holman;  "but 
Leith  —  oh,  damn  it!  I  can't  get  you  to  understand ! 
He  pulled  the  Professor  into  this  deal,  and  the  old 
man  is  as  green  as  grass.  Herndon  supplied  the 
money  and  all  that,  and  he's  that  much  of  a  silly 
old  doodlebug  that  this  fellow  is  buncoing  him  out 
of  his  good  gold. " 

"Yes,"  I  muttered;  "and  what  do  his  daughters 
say?" 

"Say?"  cried  the  youngster.  "They  can  say 
nothing  that  will  do  any  good  when  they  are  talking 
to  a  madman.  He  sees  Fame  coming  down  the 
pike,  and  he's  blind  to  all  the  tricks  of  that  devil. 
It's  a  fact,  Verslun!  Leith  is  after  the  old  man's 
cash  —  and  after  Edith  Herndon  as  well." 

I  stood  and  looked  at  the  youngster.  His  boyish 
face  was  aflame  with  indignation,  and  any  suspicions 
I  had  regarding  his  good  intentions  were  swept 
away  immediately. 

"After  Edith  Herndon?"  I  repeated  slowly. 

"Yes!"  he  gasped.     "Oh,  I  knew  you  didn't  like 


34  THE  WHITE  WATERFALL 

the  big,  sallow  brute.  Miss  Barbara  told  me  how 
you  turned  him  down  cold  when  he  wanted  you 
to  repeat  that  yarn  to  satisfy  his  curiosity.  He's  a 
bad  egg,  do  you  hear?  He's  out  for  trouble,  and 
we're  going  to  run  into  it  head  on  before  we  finish 
the  trip.  Only  for  the  girls  I  would  have  stayed 
ashore  at  Levuka. " 

"And  the  captain?"  I  questioned. 

"We  don't  know  about  him,"  he  snapped.  "He's 
Leith's  captain.  I  mean  Leith  put  him  in  his  job 
when  the  Professor  chartered  the  yacht.  Anyhow, 
he  doesn't  say  enough  to  let  any  one  know  which 
side  of  the  fence  he  is  on.  He  has  only  learned  to 
say  yes  and  no,  and  he  is  mighty  particular  about 
the  number  of  times  he  will  use  those  words." 

I  laughed  at  the  bitterness  the  youngster  threw 
into  his  speech.  It  is  good  to  be  young.  One  can 
love  and  hate  with  some  intensity,  and  it  appeared 
to  me  that  Holman  had  found  marks  for  both  ador 
ation  and  hatred  on  the  yacht  that  was  slipping 
into  the  mysterious  islands  of  the  South  Sea. 

"You  mustn't  look  at  the  black  side  of  things," 
I  said.  "Leith's  face  is  not  a  likable  one,  I  will 
admit,  but  a  lot  of  good  fellows  have  ugly  dials. 
It  seems  that  the  Professor  wants  skulls,  and  it 
appears  that  Leith  knows  of  a  spot  where  he  can 
gather  up  the  oldest  specimens  in  Polynesia.  There's 
nothing  wrong  about  that.  As  to  Miss  Herndon, 


35 

she  struck  me  as  being  a  young  lady  who  was  well 
able  to  look  after  herself. " 

"That's  all  right,"  stammered  the  youngster. 
"Perhaps  I  said  too  much,  but  I  had  to  speak  to 
you." 

"And  I'm  mighty  glad  you  did!"  I  cried. 

He  gripped  my  hand  and  turned  away,  leaving 
me  to  my  own  reflections.  It  was  a  wonderful 
night.  The  silvery  sea  through  which  The  Waij 
drove  a  path  with  plunging  forefoot  awoke  strange 
dreams  and  fancies  within  my  brain.  All  the 
mystery  of  the  tropic  night  welled  up  around  me, 
and  my  soul  seemed  to  have  suddenly  awakened 
to  the  beauty  of  life.  The  veil  of  morbid  pessimism 
that  came  before  my  eyes  during  the  weary  days  I 
had  spent  upon  the  beach  at  Levuka  was  torn  aside, 
and  a  wave  of  gladness  entered  my  being.  I  felt 
that  the  voyage  would  be  an  eventful  one  to  me, 
and  I  tramped  the  poop  with  a  light  step.  Occa 
sionally  the  sallow  features  of  Leith  persisted  in 
rising  before  my  mental  vision  to  blot  out  the 
dream  face  that  was  continually  before  me,  but  I 
resolutely  put  the  Professor's  partner  from  my 
mind  and  fed  myself  upon  the  visions  bred  by  the 
splendour  of  the  night. 

Holman  had  left  me  about  an  hour  when  I  hap 
pened  to  glance  at  the  patch  of  shadow  that  had 
attracted  his  attention  while  he  was  talking  to  me. 


36  THE  WHITE  WATERFALL 

I  stopped  and  watched  it  intently.  Some  one  had 
crawled  into  the  velvety  strip  and  was  lying  per 
fectly  still. 

"Who  is  there?"  I  asked. 

There  was  no  answer.  The  strip  of  shadow 
broadened  and  narrowed  as  The  Waif  plunged,  but 
I  could  discern  nothing.  Outside  the  captain  and 
myself,  the  crew  of  The  Waif,  together  with  the  six 
men  that  were  with  the  Professor's  party,  were  all 
natives,  and  I  wondered  as  I  watched  the  shadow  why 
one  should  be  crawling  around  as  if  afraid  of  being 
seen.  It  was  possible  that  he  was  attempting  to 
thieve  something  from  the  galley,  and  it  was  also  pos 
sible  that  he  was  spying,  as  Holman  had  suggested. 

I  picked  up  a  small  iron  pin  and  tossed  it  at  the 
spot  where  I  felt  sure  the  islander  was  hiding.  I 
didn't  throw  the  pin  with  any  force,  although  the  yell 
that  came  out  of  the  shadow  would  convince  an  on 
looker  that  I  had  thrown  it  with  murderous  intent. 

I  sprang  forward  while  the  shriek  of  pain  was  still 
vibrating  in  the  air,  but  the  native  was  determined 
to  have  revenge  for  the  rap  from  the  iron  pin. 
A  knife  flashed  in  the  moonlight,  and  I  staggered 
as  the  blade  touched  my  forehead  like  a  tongue  of 
flame.  A  dark  figure  dashed  along  the  deck  toward 
the  forecastle,  and  brushing  the  blood  from  my  eyes 
I  started  in  pursuit. 

At  the  head  of  the  companion-stairs  I  collided 


A  KNIFE  FROM  THE  DARK  37 

heavily  with  Newmarch,  who  had  just  rushed  up 
from  the  cabin,  and  the  force  of  the  shock  nearly 
threw  him  off  his  feet. 

"Confound  it!"  he  cried.  "What's  the  matter 
with  you?" 

"One  of  the  Kanakas  nearly  cut  my  eye  out!" 
I  roared.  "He  flung  a  knife  at  me  and  ducked  for 
thef'c'stle." 

I  left  him  standing  in  angry  astonishment  and 
rushed  forward.  I  stood  at  the  top  of  the  ladder 
and  listened.  The  only  noises  that  came  up  were 
the  shrill  snores  of  the  islanders,  but  the  blood  that 
streamed  down  my  face  made  me  forget  prudence, 
and  I  scrambled  down  into  the  stuffy  quarters,  where 
the  odour  of  natives  was  overwhelming. 

A  swinging  lamp  dimly  illuminated  the  place,  and 
I  snatched  it  from  its  hook  and  swung  it  over  the 
face  of  the  naked  occupant  of  the  first  bunk.  A 
glance  convinced  me  that  his  sleep  was  genuine. 
His  mouth  was  wide  open  as  he  snored,  and  the 
native  who  feigns  sleep  hasn't  enough  sense  to  make 
his  imitation  more  real  by  opening  his  mouth. 

The  man  in  the  next  bunk,  a  muscular  Kanaka, 
had  his  face  turned  away  from  me,  and  in  spite  of 
his  prolonged  snore  my  suspicions  were  aroused.  I 
thrust  my  hand  beneath  the  single  blanket  that 
covered  him,  and  was  immediately  convinced  that 
I  had  discovered  the  culprit.  The  blanket  was  cold. 


38  THE  WHITE  WATERFALL 

"Here,  you  scoundrel!"  I  yelled,  dropping  the 
lamp  and  poking  him  roughly  in  the  ribs.  "What 
the  devil  do  you  mean  by  trying  to  knife  me?" 

He  opened  his  big  eyes  and  stared  at  me  stupidly, 
while  the  occupants  of  the  other  bunks,  who  were 
aroused  by  my  shout,  sat  up  and  rubbed  their 
eyes. 

"Why  did  you  throw  that  knife?"  I  screamed. 

"I  no  throw  knife,"  he  muttered.  "Me  sleep, 
very  tired. " 

The  pain  of  my  wound  maddened  me,  and  I 
seized  him  roughly  and  dragged  him  toward  the 
ladder  with  the  intention  of  bringing  him  before  the 
bilious  captain. 

I  had  grasped  a  rung  to  haul  myself  up  when  a 
heavy  boot  came  down  on  my  fingers  and  the  voice 
of  the  captain  screamed  an  objection. 

"Stop  that  business!"  he  shrieked. 

"But  this  devil  tried  to  knife  me!"  I  protested. 

"Let  him  go!"  yelled  Newmarch.  "Do  you  hear 
me?  Let  him  go  this  instant!" 

I  let  go  my  grip  of  the  Kanaka,  who  immediately 
dived  for  his  bunk  and  curled  himself  up  as  if  he 
had  no  further  interest  in  the  proceedings.  The 
captain  was  beside  me  then,  and  his  quick  breathing 
betrayed  his  excitement.  As  I  lifted  the  lamp  back 
to  its  place  the  light  fell  upon  his  thin  features; 
their  pallor  surprised  me  as  much  as  his  words. 


A  KNIFE  FROM  THE  DARK  39 

"Too  many  wonderful  things  happen  to  you!" 
he  stammered. 

"Why  —  what  do  you  mean?"  I  queried. 

"Never  mind!"  he  snapped.  "If  you  start  a 
rough  house  on  board  this  boat  I'll  stop  you  before 
you  get  well  under  way." 

I  was  too  astounded  to  reply.  The  blood  upon 
my  face  and  hands  was  plain  evidence  of  the  wound 
I  had  received,  and  the  captain's  indifference  left  me 
breathless.  Without  another  word  he  turned  and 
scrambled  up  on  deck,  and  I  followed. 

Once  out  of  earshot  of  the  listening  crew  I  de 
termined  to  make  another  effort  to  show  him  that 
my  conduct  was  justified. 

"That  devil  was  sneaking  in  the  shadow  of  the 
galley  all  the  evening,"  I  cried.  "I  attempted  to 
stir  him  out  and  he  jerked  the  knife  at  me." 

He  stopped  in  front  of  me,  made  one  of  his  con 
versational  feints  by  opening  his  mouth  and  shut 
ting  it  again,  then  dived  hastily  for  the  companion, 
leaving  me  to  search  for  sympathy  in  the  moonlit 
night.  I  remembered  as  I  endeavoured  to  staunch 
the  wound,  the  question  which  I  had  put  to  Holman 
concerning  the  captain  only  an  hour  before,  and  I 
smiled  grimly  as  I  bound  my  handkerchief  about 
my  forehead.  Captain  Newmarch  of  The  Waif 
hadn't  risen  in  my  estimation  since  the  moment  I 
made  the  inquiry. 


CHAPTER  IV 

THE    STORM 

HOLMAN  glanced  inquiringly  at  the  piece  of 
sticking  plaster  above  my  right  eye  when 
he  met  me  on  the  deck  the  morning  after 
the  knife  incident,  and  I  grinned  sheepishly. 

"You  were  right  about  that  patch  of  shadow  last 
night,"  I  remarked. 
"How?"  he  queried. 

"This   came   from   it,"    I   replied,    touching   the 
plaster  with  my  finger  as  I  spoke. 

The  boy  whistled  and  looked  around  cautiously. 
"You'll  be  getting  wise  in  a  day  or  two,"  he  mur 
mured.     "She  said  you  would  when  I  told  her  this 
morning  about  our  conversation  of  last  night." 
I  laughed,  and  he  turned  suddenly  toward  me. 

40 


THE  STORM  41 

"Do  you  think  we'll  put  in  anywhere  in  the  Samoan 
Group?" 

"I  don't  think  so,"  I  replied.     "Why?" 

Holman  came  closer.  "If  we  do  I'm  going  to 
get  the  girls  ashore  and  keep  them  there,"  he  mut 
tered.  "I  don't  care  what  you  think  of  the  proposi 
tion.  This  trip  is  going  to  be  a  tough  one,  and  I'm 
certain  there  is  some  deviltry  afoot." 

I  tried  to  laugh  at  the  serious  face  upon  the 
youngster,  but  the  conviction  which  he  threw  into 
his  words  choked  my  mirth.  Whether  it  was  the 
little  brush  with  the  Kanaka  or  the  gloomy  fore 
bodings  of  the  boy  I  couldn't  tell,  but  I  felt  a  trifle 
anxious  after  my  first  night  aboard  The  Waif. 

"But  there  is  nothing  to  be  gained  by  running 
away  if  we  do  put  in  to  a  port,"  I  growled. 

"How  is  that?"  stammered  Holman. 

"Well,  if  Leith  is  an  admirer  of  Edith  Herndon, 
as  you  say,"  I  argued,  "and  if  the  captain  is  in 
league  with  Leith,  the  yacht  wouldn't  leave  till  the 
girls  came  aboard.  Besides,  the  Professor  wouldn't 
go  on  without  them. " 

"I  don't  know  about  the  Professor,"  grunted 
Holman.  "That  old  doodlebug  only  thinks  of  the 
silly  specimens  that  he  is  going  to  collect  down  here. 
If  he  had  any  love  for  his  daughters  he  wouldn't 
have  brought  them  along. " 

"But  you  told  me  they  insisted  on  coming." 


42  THE  WHITE  WATERFALL 

"So  they  did!"  he  retorted  savagely.  "But  they 
knew  that  the  poor  old  fool  was  in  the  hands  of  a 
scoundrel  and  they  wouldn't  let  him  go  alone.  They 
think  they  can  protect  him  from  that  devil,  and  it 
nearly  makes  me  cry  to  hear  them  say  so." 

Miss  Edith  Herndon  and  her  sister  came  up  on 
deck  at  that  moment,  and  if  I  was  impressed  by 
the  calm  sweetness  of  the  elder  girl's  face  on  the 
previous  afternoon,  the  strength  and  beauty  of  it 
as  I  saw  it  in  the  fresh  morning  sunlight  made  my 
heart  pound  violently  against  my  ribs.  The  pretti- 
ness  of  Miss  Barbara  made  the  quiet  dignity  of  the 
elder  sister  more  noticeable,  and  that  apparent 
strength  of  character  made  me  doubt  Holman's 
contention  that  she  would  be  unable  to  help  the 
scientist  if  Leith's  motives  were  discovered  to  be 
criminal. 

It  was  Barbara's  keen  eyes  that  detected  my 
plaster,  and  I  squirmed  as  I  saw  the  light  of  curi 
osity  in  her  eyes. 

"Oh,  tell  us  how  it  happened!"  she  cried.  "Please 
make  it  a  night  attack  upon  the  yacht,  Mr.  Verslun! 
I  heard  a  wild  cry  just  after  I  retired  and  I  felt  sure 
that  war  canoes  had  surrounded  us.  They  always 
surround  the  ill-fated  ship,  don't  they?"  she  con 
tinued  merrily.  "And  the  ship  is  always  ill-fated 
in  all  the  really  thrilling  sea  stories  I  have  read!" 

Leith  came  sauntering  aft  as  she  fired  her  ques- 


THE  STORM  43 

tions  at  me,  and  he  stood  near  Miss  Edith  with  his 
dull  eyes  fixed  upon  me  as  I  answered. 

"I'm  afraid  I  cannot  feed  your  imagination  to 
day,"  I  replied.  "I  tripped  over  a  coil  of  rope, 
and  the  deck  sprang  up  and  bumped  me." 

I  glanced  at  Leith  as  I  spoke,  and  I  fancied  I 
detected  a  glint  of  amusement  in  the  lustreless 
eyes  that  were  turned  in  my  direction.  Whether 
it  was  caused  by  my  hastily  constructed  lie  or 
by  the  girl's  inquiries  I  could  not  tell,  but  my 
dislike  for  the  clumsy  giant  made  me  suspicious 
about  his  knowledge  of  the  incident  of  the  preced 
ing  evening,  and  I  felt  certain  that  he  was  smiling 
at  my  fib. 

As  if  he  wished  to  do  something  which  would 
convince  me  of  his  ignorance  of  the  happening,  he 
hastily  changed  the  subject. 

"The  captain  thinks  we  are  in  for  a  spell  of  bad 
weather,  Mr.  Verslun, "  he  drawled;  "are  you  of 
the  same  opinion?" 

"  If  signs  go  for  anything  we  are, "  I  replied.  "  We 
are  running  into  a  zone  of  trouble." 

He  walked  away  without  further  speech,  and  the 
two  girls  went  below  in  response  to  a  message  from 
their  father.  The  Professor  was  slightly  indisposed, 
and  he  demanded  that  his  daughters  remain  with 
him  in  the  cabin.  The  selfishness  of  the  scientist 
irritated  Holman  exceedingly,  and  he  made  bitter 


44  THE  WHITE  WATERFALL 

comments  about  him  during  the  hour  or  two  he 
kept  me  company. 

"I  never  yet  met  one  of  those  scientific  gazaboos 
who  didn't  think  he  was  something  more  than 
mortal,"  he  growled.  "I  try  to  keep  on  good  terms 
with  the  old  bone  measurer,  but  his  vanity  nearly 
turns  me  sick.  Do  you  know  what  he  told  me  yes 
terday?" 

"What?"  I  asked,  amused  at  the  youngster's  an 
noyance. 

"Said  that  he  might  mention  my  name  in  the 
report  of  the  expedition  that  he  would  send  to  some 
old  research  society  in  the  States.  When  I  didn't 
show  any  signs  of  elation  he  got  offended,  so  I  guess 
I'm  cut  out  of  the  history." 

He  went  grumbling  down  into  the  cabin,  and  I 
watched  the  ocean.  The  barometer  was  low,  and 
out  of  the  west  a  pack  of  fat  black  clouds  swarmed 
up  from  the  horizon,  stacking  themselves  one  upon 
another  till  they  resembled  a  huge  pile  of  rounded 
boulders  which  a  sudden  puff  of  wind  might  bring 
toppling  down  upon  us.  The  faint  scouting  puffs 
of  air  —  "the  devil's  breath"  of  the  poetical  Polyne 
sians  —  whined  through  the  stays,  but  the  small 
waves  that  tried  to  rise  in  expectation  were  clouted 
back  by  the  heavy,  oppressive  atmosphere  that  ironed 
out  the  ocean  till  one's  imagination  pictured  it  wait 
ing  for  the  word  like  a  strained  runner  on  his  mark. 


THE  STORM  45 

It  burst  at  last.  Three  violent  blasts  ripped  over 
us  like  projectiles,  and  the  "song  of  the  dead  men" 
was  twanged  upon  the  straining  ropes.  The  Waif 
stopped  for  an  instant,  as  if  debating  whether  she 
would  run  or  cower  before  the  onslaught,  then  she 
dipped  her  nose  into  the  mad  lather  that  rose  around 
her  and  plunged  forward.  That  jump  seemed  to  be 
a  challenge  to  the  storm.  It  burst  upon  us  in  all  its 
fury,  and  the  yacht  became  a  tiny  seesaw  upon  the 
murderous  Himalayas  that  rose  around  us. 

Great  chunks  of  green  water  came  hurtling  over 
the  rail,  thundering  down  upon  us  till  The  Waif  was 
buried  in  a  boiling  turmoil  from  which  she  would 
leap  and  shake  herself,  only  to  be  pulled  down  again 
when  the  next  sea  fell  upon  us.  When  she  sprang 
out  of  the  lather,  those  devilish,  snarling,  snaky 
waves  sprang  after  her,  slapping  at  her  flanks,  tearing 
and  biting  at  her  like  a  pack  of  wolves.  There's 
an  awful  likeness  to  a  wolf  pack  about  storm  waves. 
When  you  see  them  all  foam-lathered  stretching  out 
like  a  pack  in  full  cry,  or  watch  them  leaping  up  as 
if  they  were  trying  to  see  whether  the  unfortunate 
ship  had  been  torn  down  by  one  of  their  band,  you 
begin  to  credit  them  with  some  sort  of  intelligence 

The  Waif  was  no  poppycock  yacht,  built  to  dodge 
about  the  Solent  and  run  for  Cowes  if  the  wind  blew 
a  capful.  She  had  been  built  to  hold  her  own  with 
the  hardest  slamming  seas  that  ever  chased  a  shat- 


46  THE  WHITE  WATERFALL 

tercel  hull,  and  it  was  lucky  for  us  that  she  was. 
The  storm  that  came  screeching  after  us  from  way 
across  the  Coral  Sea  was  one  of  those  high-powered 
freak  disturbances  that  juggle  with  lumps  of  water 
like  a  vaudeville  performer  juggling  with  cheap 
crockery.  It  took  the  tops  off  those  rollers  and 
pelted  them  at  us,  and  the  wind  seemed  to  yell  in 
triumph  when  the  yacht  was  buried  in  the  whirl 
pools  in  which  she  dived  headlong. 

All  through  the  night  we  raced  before  it,  and 
through  the  following  day  The  Waif  never  paused 
for  an  instant  in  her  mad  race  to  the  eastward.  The 
Kanakas  became  demoralized  with  fear,  and  I  forgot 
the  trouble  hanging  over  the  heads  of  the  girls  and 
their  father  as  I  helped  Newmarch  drag  the  crew  from 
their  bunks  to  cut  away  the  wreckage  of  the  vessel. 

I  saw  a  new  side  of  the  captain  during  those  hours. 
A  very  devil  of  energy  took  hold  of  him  with  the 
coming  of  the  storm,  and  he  became  a  human 
dynamo.  He  pounded  the  frightened  crew  unmerci 
fully,  dragging  the  screaming  islanders  back  to 
their  work  by  the  hair  of  their  heads,  and  heaping 
upon  them  curses  that  were  strange  and  blood 
curdling.  That  he  was  a  good  sailorman  I  had  little 
doubt.  He  handled  The  Waif  with  skill  and  patience, 
while  the  crew,  with  rolling  eyes  and  quivering  lips, 
were  so  terrorized  by  his  wrath  that  they  fled  to  do 
his  bidding. 


THE  STORM  47 

I  had  been  wondering  since  the  moment  when  he 
had  ordered  me  to  let  go  my  grip  of  the  Kanaka  in 
the  f  c'stle,  if  he  was  afraid  that  any  disagreement 
between  me  and  the  knife-thrower  would  start 
trouble  with  the  crew,  but  from  the  way  he  hazed 
the  niggers  during  the  storm  I  was  convinced  that  it 
was  not  through  any  fear  of  them  that  he  ordered 
me  to  leave  my  assailant  alone.  The  conviction 
did  not  increase  my  love  for  him.  As  I  viewed  the 
happening  he  was  inclined  to  shield  the  big  brute 
who  threw  the  knife  simply  because  the  offence 
did  not  appear  to  be  one  that  merited  punishment, 
and  this  view  was  not  pleasing  to  my  nerves. 

It  was  on  the  second  day  of  the  storm  that  a 
little  incident  happened  which  is  worth  mentioning. 
Toni,  the  small  Fijian  who  had  chanted  the  song  of 
Black  Fernando's  hell,  was  caught  by  a  huge  wave 
and  pounded  hard  against  the  cabin.  The  mad 
turmoil  of  water  swept  his  nearly  lifeless  form  into 
the  scuppers,  but  before  another  comber  could 
snatch  him  overboard,  I  managed  to  reach  his  side 
and  drag  him  into  safety. 

I  forgot  the  incident  in  the  whirl  of  happenings 
that  followed,  but  the  Fijian  had  a  longer  memory. 
Late  that  afternoon  he  was  holding  the  wheel  with 
Soma,  the  big  Kanaka  who  had  jerked  the  knife 
at  me,  and  as  I  stopped  to  peer  at  the  binnacle  he 
beckoned  me  toward  him. 


48  THE  WHITE  WATERFALL 

"That  was  me  that  sing,"  he  shrieked,  as  I  put 
down  my  head.  "I  tell  damn  big  lie  you  an'  Miss 
Herndon." 

"Why?"  I  asked,  amused  at  the  peculiar  manner 
in  which  he  tried  to  express  his  gratitude  for  the 
rescue  of  the  morning. 

"Bigjacky  tell  me  not  say  anything,"  he  screamed. 
"He  tell  it  to  me  one  big  secret  all  that  talk  about 
waterfall.  Tell  me  not  to  tell  any  one.  You  know 
why?" 

I  glanced  at  Soma  and  found  that  he  was  straining 
his  ears  to  catch  the  words  the  other  was  shrieking, 
and  as  I  was  more  than  suspicious  of  him,  I  promptly 
closed  the  conversation. 

"I'll  see  you  in  the  morning,"  I  roared. 

The  Fijian  nodded  and  I  fought  my  way  forward, 
wondering  as  I  clung  to  the  rigging  what  the  pupil 
of  the  Maori  had  to  tell  me  about  the  song 

The  wind  had  ceased  somewhat  on  the  morning 
of  the  third  day,  but  the  snaky  rollers  were  still 
racing  after  the  flying  yacht.  A  watery  sun  peeped 
out  from  between  the  driving  cloud  masses,  the  rays 
glinting  through  the  heads  of  the  waves  that  curled 
menacingly  as  the  battered  yacht  drove  through 
them. 

Newmarch  hailed  me  from  the  poop  when  I  came 
on  deck,  and  there  was  a  peculiar  look  upon  his 
scrawny  features  as  he  addressed  me. 


THE  STORM  49 

"Do  you  know  that  nigger  you  rescued?"  he  asked. 

"Toni?" 

"Yes." 

"What  about  him?" 

"You  did  your  heroic  stunt  for  nothing,"  he  re 
marked.  "The  fool  can't  be  found,  so  I  guess  he 
went  overboard  in  the  night." 

The  news  came  as  a  shock  to  me.  Toni's  last 
question  that  he  had  put  as  he  clung  to  the  wheel 
with  Soma  had  flashed  through  my  mind  several 
times  through  the  night.  He  had  asked  it  in  a 
manner  that  insinuated  that  I  might  be  interested 
in  the  reasons  why  Big  Jacky,  his  companion  on 
the  wharf  at  Levuka,  wished  the  whereabouts  of 
the  white  waterfall  to  remain  a  secret,  and  now  his 
disappearance  blocked  my  inquiries.  I  felt  annoyed 
with  myself  for  not  listening  to  what  the  Fijian  had 
to  say  at  the  moment  he  confessed  that  he  had  lied, 
and  then  the  face  of  the  listening  Soma  came  up 
before  my  mental  eye.  Soma  was  a  person  that  I 
was  beginning  to  cordially  dislike. 

I  turned  to  Newmarch  and  fired  a  question  at  him. 

"Do  you  think  he  was  helped  overboard?" 

"Why,  no,"  he  said  slowly.  "Why  do  you  think 
that?" 

"Oh,  nothing,"  I  replied.     "I  thought  his  narrow 

escape  of  the  morning  would  have  made  him  careful." 

It  was  a  few  hours  after  this  conversation  that  I 


So  THE  WHITE  WATERFALL 

had  my  first  chance  of  speaking  to  Edith  Herndon 
since  the  moment  we  had  run  into  the  disturbance. 
The  girl  poked  her  head  out  of  the  companionway, 
and  I  hastened  to  assist  her  out  on  deck.  It  was 
her  first  sight  of  the  damage  which  the  storm  had 
done  to  the  yacht,  and  she  gave  a  cry  of  alarm  as 
she  looked  at  the  splintered  spars  and  the  cordage 
that  cracked  in  the  wind  like  the  whips  of  invisible 
devils. 

"Oh,  Mr.  Verslun,  we  are  a  wreck!"  she  cried. 

"Not  quite,"  I  said,  gripping  her  arm  to  steady 
her  as  The  Waif  took  a  header.  "We've  weathered 
the  worst  of  it  and  we're  still  sound.  The  storm 
centre  has  slipped  away  to  the  north,  and  we  can 
count  ourselves  out  of  the  ruction  for  the  present." 

Her  shapely  hand  clutched  my  wet  oilskins  as 
the  yacht  plunged  from  the  back  of  an  enormous 
swell,  and  I  was  so  busy  noting  the  beauty  of  the 
hand  that  I  had  no  eye  for  the  sallow  face  that 
peeped  from  the  companion.  Leith's  bass  voice 
rose  above  the  noise  of  the  waves,  and  there  was 
an  angry  note  in  it. 

"This  isn't  a  nice  place  for  you,  Miss  Edith!" 
he  cried. 

The  girl  half  turned  her  head,  looked  at  him  for  a 
second,  then  without  any  intimation  that  she  had 
heard  what  he  said,  she  turned  again  toward  me  and 
started  to  cross-examine  me  upon  the  amount  of 


THE  STORM  51 

damage  we  had  sustained.  I  thought  that  the  white, 
shapely  hand  tightened  its  grip  upon  my  wet  sleeve 
at  the  moment  Leith's  bass  voice  came  booming 
to  our  ears,  and  I  blessed  the  big  brute's  interfer 
ence  for  the  thrill  which  I  derived  from  the  pressure 
of  her  fingers  upon  the  greasy  coat. 

But  Leith  was  not  to  be  denied.  The  cold  stare, 
instead  of  driving  him  back  into  the  cabin,  only 
roused  his  temper.  Very  cautiously  he  climbed  along 
the  heaving  deck  to  the  point  where  we  were  stand 
ing,  and,  clutching  a  rope,  he  swayed  backward  and 
forward  immediately  behind  us. 

"Miss  Edith!"  he  called. 

The  girl  turned  her  head  sharply.  "Well?"  she 
cried. 

"This  isn't  a  proper  place  for  you!"  roared  Leith. 
"One  of  those  seas  is  liable  to  come  aboard  at  any 
moment,  and  you  might  be  washed  away  before  any 
one  could  assist  you." 

Edith  Herndon's  lips  showed  the  slightest  trace 
of  a  smile.  "You  had  better  be  careful  too,  Mr. 
Leith,"  she  retorted.  "Mr.  Verslun  is  holding  on 
to  me  in  case  one  of  those  old  gray  rollers  should 
make  a  sudden  leap,  but  you  have  no  one  to  hold 
on  to  you. " 

A  frown  passed  over  Leith's  face  like  a  cloud 
shadow  across  a  yellow  plain.  He  slackened  his 
grip  on  the  rope  and  lurched  toward  us. 


S2  THE  WHITE  WATERFALL 

"You  must  go  below  at  once!"  he  screamed,  ad 
dressing  the  girl.  "Your  father  is  too  ill  to  look 
after  you  at  this  moment,  so  the  duty  is  mine.  There 
is  danger  here,  and  I  order  you  below!" 

He  touched  her  shoulder  with  his  big  fingers  that 
resembled  talons,  but  the  girl  made  a  quick  side 
movement  and  slipped  from  his  grip. 

"Do  not  touch  me!"  she  cried  fiercely.  "How 
dare  you  put  your  hand  on  me!" 

But  Leith's  temper  was  up  at  that  moment,  and 
he  was  angry  enough  for  anything.  He  made  a 
spring  for  the  girl's  hand,  and  I  thrust  my  shoulder 
forward  to  bump  him  off.  The  Waif  nearly  stood 
on  her  end  at  that  instant,  and  her  acrobatic  feat 
combined  with  the  push  flung  Leith  off  his  feet  and 
sent  him  rolling  ludicrously  along  the  deck. 

Miss  Herndon  gave  a  little  cry  of  alarm  and 
sprang  for  the  companion-stairs,  down  which  she 
disappeared  without  taking  a  glance  at  the  brute 
on  the  wet  planks.  Leith  picked  himself  up,  gripped 
a  loose  backstay  with  his  left  hand  and  swung  him 
self  toward  me,  striking  out  viciously  with  his  free 
right  hand  when  he  came  within  hitting  distance. 

The  blow  landed  on  my  shoulder,  and  I  returned 
the  compliment  with  an  uppercut  that  jerked  him 
from  his  swing  rope  and  sent  him  stumbling  back 
ward  against  the  rail.  The  fall  stunned  him  for  a 
few  moments  and  he  rolled  about  in  the  wash;  then 


THE  STORM  53 

Soma,  the  Kanaka  who  jerked  the  knife  at  me, 
rushed  from  the  galley  door  and  dragged  him  to  his 
feet.  The  native  steered  him  to  the  companion- 
way,  where  he  stood  for  a  moment  glaring  at  me  as 
if  undecided  whether  to  continue  the  fight  or  beat 
a  retreat,  but  the  wild  plunging  of  the  yacht  con 
vinced  him  that  the  spot  was  not  one  where  he 
figured  to  advantage,  so  he  stumbled  below. 

I  looked  around  and  saw  Holman  clinging  to  the 
rigging,  his  boyish  face  wearing  an  expression  of 
extreme  pleasure. 

"You're  getting  wise,"  he  cried,  as  he  scrambled 
toward  me;  "but  don't  think  you've  walloped  him. 
He'll  come  back  at  you  when  he  has  a  better  op 
portunity  of  beating  you  up." 


CHAPTER  V 

I    MAKE    A    PROMISE 

THE    morning   following  the  unpleasant  in 
cident  with  Leith  broke  clear  and  sunny. 
The  Pacific,  as  if  tired  after  its  mad  pranks 
of  the    preceding  three   days,   was    a    shimmering 
stretch   of   placid   blue   water,    and   the   shattered 
spars  and  loose  cordage  of  The  Waif  were  the  only 
reminders  of  the  terrific  storm  that  had  swept  us 
before  it. 

Captain  Newmarch  set  all  hands  at  work  to  re 
pair  the  damage,  and  before  midday  we  were  bowling 

* 

along  under  as  much  canvas  as  we  could  spread. 
The  storm  being  directly  from  the  southwest  had 
not  carried  us  from  our  course,  and  Newmarch 
chuckled  when  he  had  taken  an  observation. 

54 


I  MAKE  A  PROMISE  55 

"We'll  strike  it  in  the  morning,"  he  growled. 

"What?     Penrose  Island?"     I  asked. 

"No,  the  Isle  of  Tears,"  he  answered  sharply. 

"The  Isle  of  Tears?"  I  repeated. 

"That's  what  I  said,"  he  remarked  sourly.  "And 
now  you  know  as  much  as  I  know.  It  was  kept  a 
little  secret  by  the  orders  of  my  employers,  but  we 
are  so  close  to  the  spot  now  that  I  don't  think  it  will 
matter  if  I  let  the  cat  out  of  the  bag." 

"And  is  it  there  that  the  Professor  will  conduct 
his  search?"  I  asked. 

"You  had  better  ask  that  question  of  Professor 
Herndon,"  he  replied.  "I  know  nothing  about  what 
they'll  do  ashore." 

He  left  the  poop  before  I  had  time  to  put  another 
question  to  him,  and  as  I  walked  up  and  down  I 
turned  over  in  my  mind  the  tiny  morsel  of  informa 
tion  I  had  received.  The  captain's  secrecy  was 
peculiar,  to  say  the  least,  and  as  I  reasoned  that 
Professor  Herndon  knew  absolutely  nothing  of  the 
Islands,  it  was  quite  evident  that  the  orders  pro 
hibiting  Newmarch  from  making  known  the  exact 
destination  of  the  yacht  had  come  from  Leith.  It 
was  not  the  first  time  I  had  heard  of  the  Isle  of  Tears. 
Strange  stories  floated  across  the  Pacific  concerning 
the  little  islet  east  of  the  Suvaroff  Group,  and  out 
of  the  reticule  of  the  mind  I  attempted  to  drag 
these  stories  and  piece  them  together  during  the 


56  THE  WHITE  WATERFALL 

minutes  that  passed  after  Newmarch  had  given  me 
the  information.  They  were  not  pleasant  stories 
as  I  remembered  them  at  that  moment.  The  island 
had  a  "past."  The  mention  of  it  brought  hazy 
recollections  to  natives  —  recollections  that  were 
too  misty  to  put  into  words,  but  which  the  un 
tutored  mind  connected  with  happenings  that  were 
anything  but  pleasant.  And  I  recalled  a  night  at 
"Tonga  Pete's"  place  on  the  Rue  de  Rivoli  at  Pa 
peete,  when  a  sailor  from  a  copra  schooner  in  the 
bay,  who  had  been  marooned  upon  the  island  by 
Captain  "Bully"  Hayes,  told  a  wild,  weird  story  of 
unexplainable  happenings  that  he  had  witnessed  dur 
ing  the  two  days  and  two  nights  he  had  spent  ashore. 

Holman  came  hurrying  upon  deck  as  I  was  en 
deavouring  to  remember  all  the  story  that  the  sailor 
had  told,  and  the  youngster  immediately  rushed  me 
with  the  news. 

"The  captain  has  just  told  me,"  I  said. 

"Well,  Leith  has  just  given  the  information  out 
in  the  cabin,"  he  cried.  "They  must  have  decided 
to  give  it  out  at  the  same  moment." 

"But  the  Professor?"  I  asked.  "Surely  he  knew. 
Do  you  mean  to  say  that  he  was  ignorant  of  the  fact 
that  it  was  the  Isle  of  Tears  and  not  Penrose  Island 
that  we  were  making  for?" 

Holman  laughed  at  my  question.  "You  haven't 
spoken  much  to  him,  Verslun.  He  couldn't  remem- 


I  MAKE  A  PROMISE  57 

her  the  name  of  a  place  three  minutes.  He  only 
knows  that  there  are  archaeological  treasures  on  this 
island  we  are  going  to,  and  he  doesn't  care  two 
cents  about  its  name.  Leith  has  told  him  some  tall 
stories  about  the  camp,  judging  by  the  way  the  old 
man's  eyes  shine  when  he  mentions  it.  Yesterday 
he  read  me  Leith's  description  of  stone  hamungas 
and  things  that  are  supposed  to  have  been  built 
before  Julius  Caesar  invaded  Britain,  and  he's  pop- 
eyed  with  joy  as  he  thinks  how  he'll  yank  Fame  by 
the  tail  when  he  gets  on  the  ground  and  snapshots 
the  affairs.  Gee!  I'm  glad  I  haven't  got  a  kink  for 
digging  up  relics  and  dodging  about  places  that  went 
to  smash  thousands  of  years  ago.  A  vice  like  that  is 
more  expensive  than  the  poker  habit." 

"Well,  Newmarch  says  we'll  strike  it  early  in  the 
morning,"  I  said,  "and  then  we'll  see  whether  your 
suspicions  are  correct." 

"I'm  infernally  afraid  they  are,"  snapped  the 
youngster.  "I  wouldn't  care  ten  cents  about  the 
brute  only  that  the  girls  are  aboard.  I  felt  sorry 
when  I  saw  him  climb  to  his  feet  yesterday.  If 
you  hit  him  again  hit  him  with  something  that  will 
crack  his  skull.  He's  a  devil,  Verslun,  and  before 
we  are  much  older  we  will  find  it  out." 

I  laughed  at  his  gloomy  forebodings,  and  as  Miss 
Barbara  Herndon  came  on  deck  at  that  moment 
he  raced  away  and  left  me  to  my  own  meditations. 


58  THE  WHITE  WATERFALL 

My  thoughts  were  mixed.  I  had  pleasant  and 
unpleasant  ones.  If  Leith  was  the  scoundrel  that 
Holman  suspected,  the  two  girls  were  in  danger, 
and  now  as  we  neared  the  island  where  they  would 
leave  the  yacht  to  accompany  their  father,  the 
clutch  of  fear  was  upon  me.  On  The  Waif  I  felt 
that  I  had  some  little  power,  but  on  land,  more 
especially  on  the  lonely  island  toward  which  we 
were  heading,  that  feeling  of  protectorship  which 
the  sailorman  has  for  his  passengers  would  be  lost. 
If  Leith  knew  the  island,  and  it  was  evident  that  he 
had  visited  it  before,  any  villainy  that  he  contem 
plated  would  be  held  in  check  till  he  was  ashore 
and  in  command  of  the  expedition  and  I  would  be 
powerless. 

I  recognized  that  Holman's  fears  were  without 
solid  foundation.  They  were  transmitted  through 
Barbara  Herndon,  but  I  also  recognized  that  the 
elder  sister  would  hardly  support  the  statements 
unless  she  had  good  grounds  for  her  anxiety.  Her 
woman's  intuition  had  branded  Leith's  motives  in 
bringing  the  Professor  into  the  Islands  as  bad,  and 
the  sallow-faced  giant  could  not  erase  the  impres 
sion.  The  actual  reason  for  trickery  was  a  matter 
of  speculation.  Professor  Herndon  was  wealthy; 
it  was  his  money  that  had  fitted  out  the  expedi 
tion,  but  how  Leith  expected  to  benefit  himself  by 
treachery  was  more  than  I  could  tell.  Still,  try 


I  MAKE  A  PROMISE  59 

as  I  would  to  fight  off  the  impressions  that  Hoi- 
man's  tongue  had  fixed  within  my  mind,  I  was 
unable  to  alter  the  opinion  I  had  formed  of  the  man 
the  moment  I  met  him.  There  was  an  atmosphere 
about  the  yacht  that  was  unexplainable.  Try  as 
I  could  to  find  legitimate  grounds  for  fears  I  could 
not.  The  Professor  was  a  scientist  who  wished 
to  study  certain  things  the  whereabouts  of  which 
were  known  to  Leith.  Apparently  the  Professor  was 
satisfied  with  the  bargain  he  had  made.  Leith,  as 
the  two  girls  had  informed  Holman,  had  called 
upon  their  father  at  the  Langham  Hotel  in  Wyn- 
yard  Square,  Sydney,  and,  after  fascinating  the  old 
man  with  his  stories,  had  presented  his  credentials 
and  made  a  bargain  with  him  which  resulted  in  the 
chartering  of  the  yacht.  His  former  life  was  a 
mystery  that  he  guarded  jealously  from  the  probes 
which  the  girls  had  skilfully  endeavoured  to  use.  It 
was  clear  that  he  had  spent  many  years  in  the  Isl 
ands,  but  that  fact  is  not  one  that  is  generally  put 
forward  as  a  recommendation  of  good  character. 
The  South  Sea  holds  a  large  percentage  of  the  nimble 
people  who  manage  to  be  in  another  spot  when  Dame 
Justice  throws  her  lariat.  The  Law  of  the  Fringe 
has  made  curiosity  a  criminal  offence,  and  a  new 
name  covers  more  than  charity. 

I  had  had  little  chance  of  speaking  to  Edith  Hern- 
don  since  the  moment  I  came  aboard,  but  I  deter- 


60  THE  WHITE  WATERFALL 

mined,  after  I  had  looked  at  the  matter  from  every 
side,  that  I  would  ask  her  point  blank  if  I  could  be 
of  any  assistance.  Leith's  face  was  the  only  prop 
he  put  forward  as  a  support  to  his  claims  of  respect 
ability,  and  his  face  betrayed  him. 

My  chance  came  early  that  evening.  A  big 
tropical  moon  rose  out  of  Asia  and  spread  a  silvery 
wash  upon  the  ocean.  Professor  Herndon  and  his 
eldest  daughter  were  leaning  over  the  rail,  but  the 
moment  I  joined  them  the  old  man  informed  us 
that  he  had  to  see  to  his  scientific  outfit  so  that 
everything  would  be  in  readiness  for  the  landing  on 
the  following  morning,  and  he  hurried  off  and  left 
us  together. 

The  girl  did  not  speak  for  a  few  minutes,  and  I 
made  no  attempt  to  break  the  silence.  Somehow 
I  felt  that  her  intuition  had  already  told  her  that  I 
wished  to  speak  about  the  happenings  of  the  mor 
row,  and  her  opening  remark  proved  that  my  surmise 
was  correct. 

"You  will  stay  with  the  yacht,  I  suppose?"  she 
questioned. 

"I  cannot  say,"  I  replied.  "Captain  Newmarch 
hasn't  spoken  to  me  about  the  matter.  Does  your 
father  intend  to  go  far  inland?" 

"Father  has  just  told  me  that  the  actual  distance 
is  not  great,  but  the  travelling  is  very  hard.  It 
seems  that  it  is  only  a  few  miles  to  the  spot  where 


I  MAKE  A  PROMISE  61 

Mr.  Leith  says  that  father  can  see  all  the  sights 
and  obtain  all  the  specimens  he  desires,  but  those 
few  miles  will  take  us  four  days  to  travel.  There 
are  all  kinds  of  obstacles  in  the  way." 

"And  you  are  not  afraid?"  I  stammered.  "You 
do  not  dislike  the  idea  of  going?" 

She  lifted  her  head  and  looked  me  in  the  face,  the 
big  amber  eyes  shining  softly  in  the  moonlight. 

"I  dread  it,"  she  said  quietly.  "It  is  foolish  to 
say  so,  but  - 

She  stopped  speaking  and  turned  her  face  away 
from  me.  In  the  little  silence  that  followed  I  heard 
the  plop  plop  of  the  waves  against  the  side  of  the 
yacht.  A  native  chanted  a  Samoan  love  song  in 
the  fo'c'stle,  but  that  and  the  soft  whine  of  the 
pulleys  were  the  only  sounds  that  disturbed  the 
night.  We  seemed  such  a  long  way  from  civilization 
at  that  minute,  and  a  great  pity  for  the  girl's  plight 
gave  me  sufficient  courage  to  make  a  proffer  of  my 
services. 

"Miss  Herndon,"  I  spluttered,  "if  I  could  do  any 
thing  to  help  you,  please  tell  me.  I  might  help  you 
if  you  wish.  Tell  me  what  you  think  is  best." 

"If  you  stay  with  the  yacht  you  can  do  nothing," 
she  murmured. 

"Then  you  want  me  to  go?"  I  cried.  "You 
would  like  me  to  go  with 

"Father  and  Barbara  and  me,"  she  said  softly. 


62  THE  WHITE  WATERFALL 

"Mr.  Holman  is  coming,  and  if  you  could  come 
too " 

"I  can!"  I  cried.  "I  will  go  with  the  party  if 
you  say  so." 

"But  if  Captain  Newmarch  orders  you  to  stay 
with  the  yacht?" 

"He  can  order  away,"  I  spluttered.  "I  am  going 
where  Leith  is  going,  that  is  as  long  as  Leith  accom 
panies  you  and  your  father." 

Something  moved  on  the  top  of  the  galley  as  I  put 
my  resolution  into  words,  and  I  sprang  up  quickly. 
The  moon  made  every  inch  of  the  yacht  as  bright 
as  day,  yet  I  was  not  quick  enough  in  my  rush. 
A  tin  pan,  knocked  down  by  the  eavesdropper,  rolled 
across  the  deck,  but  the  spy  had  fled. 

"Some  one  was  listening  to  us,"  I  explained  as  I 
returned  to  the  girl's  side. 

"I  am  sorry  then  that  I  asked  you  to  accompany 
us,"  she  murmured.  "I  am  dragging  you  into  our 
troubles,  Mr.  Verslun,  and  it  is  not  right." 

"Hush!"  I  cried.  "Your  troubles  are  mine  just 
because  you  are  a  woman  out  on  the  very  fringe  of 
the  earth  where  you  can  get  no  one  else  to  help  you 
bear  them.  You  see  I  can  claim  a  right  in  this 
spot.  This  is  the  jumping  off  place  of  the  world 
down  here,  and  an  offer  of  assistance  must  not  be 
refused." 

She  stood  in  front  of  me,  a  tall,  splendid  figure, 


I  MAKE  A  PROMISE  63 

the  moonlight  silvering  the  piled  masses  of  hair  and 
giving  one  the  impression  that  her  head  was  sur 
rounded  by  a  shining  halo.  Suddenly  she  put  out 
her  hand  and  took  mine. 

"I  accept  your  offer  gladly,"  she  said  softly. 
"You  are  very,  very  kind,  Mr.  Verslun.  It  may  be, 
as  you  say,  the  jumping  off  place  of  the  world  down 
here  at  the  very  outposts  of  civilization,  but  the 
power  that  protects  one  in  the  crowded  cities  is 
surely  here  as  well.  Good-night,  friend." 

It  was  an  hour  after  the  time  when  Miss  Herndon 
went  below  that  I  asked  the  captain's  permission 
to  go  along  with  the  expedition.  He  plucked  his 
scrawny  beard  with  a  nervous  hand  as  he  stood 
staring  ,at  me. 

"What  the  devil  do  you  want  to  go  for?"  he  asked. 

"For  the  fun  of  the  thing." 

"I  don't  know,"  he  muttered.    "I'll  see  Leith." 

He  turned  away  and  I  walked  for'ard.  The 
beauty  of  the  night  was  extraordinary.  The  yacht 
seemed  to  be  veneered  with  a  soft  luminous  paint 
that  gave  us  the  appearance  of  a  ghostly  ship  skim 
ming  over  a  ghostly  ocean. 

At  the  top  of  the  fo'c'stle  ladder  I  found  a  native 
stretched  full  length  and  sobbing  mightily.  He 
walloped  his  head  against  the  planks  when  I  en 
deavoured  to  get  him  upon  his  feet,  and  the  sobs 
shook  his  frame. 


64  THE  WHITE  WATERFALL 

"What's  the  matter?"  I  asked. 

"Toni!  Toni!  Toni!"  he  wailed.  "Toni  he  gone. 
Toni,  my  brother,  all  same  come  from  Suva,  now 
him  dead." 

"I'm  sorry,  but  it  can't  be  helped,"  I  said.  "He 
should  have  been  more  careful." 

The  native  lifted  himself  from  the  deck  and 
glanced  around  fearfully.  Satisfied  that  there  were 
no  listeners  he  dried  his  eyes  and  crawled  upon  his 
knees  to  the  spot  where  I  was  standing.  "He  not 
washed  overboard,"  he  whispered.  "  Soma  stick  one 
knife  in  him,  then  he  tip  him  over.  Me  see  him, 
very  much  afraid." 

"When?"  I  asked. 

"Night  afore  last,"  he  gasped.  "Captain  see  him 
do  it.  Very  bad  thing.  Toni,  my  brother,  all  same 
work  one  time  Suva." 

Holman  joined  me  when  I  relieved  the  captain 
late  in  the  night;  I  told  the  youngster  what  I  knew 
about  the  disappearance  of  Toni. 

"Who  knifed  him?"  he  asked. 

"The  big  Kanaka  who  pulled  Leith  out  of  the 
scuppers  when  he  fell  yesterday." 

"Holy  smoke!"  cried  the  boy.  "I'd  like  to  get 
the  strength  of  things  on  board  this  boat.  Why, 
that  big  nigger  is  going  to  be  the  guide  of  the  expe 
dition  on  shore." 

"Who  says  so?" 


I  MAKE  A  PROMISE  65 

"Leith  pointed  him  out  to  the  Professor  this  after 
noon,"  answered  Holman.  "I  was  talking  to  the  old 
scientist  at  the  time." 

I  whistled  softly.  If  Soma  was  a  henchman  of 
Leith's  it  was  clear  to  me  why  the  captain  had 
shielded  him  the  night  he  jerked  the  knife  at  me 
when  I  dropped  the  pin  upon  his  woolly  head,  but 
why  Toni  had  been  put  away  was  a  mystery. 

"Is  it  any  good  of  attempting  to  convince  the 
Professor?"  I  asked. 

"Not  a  bit,"  snapped  Holman.  "The  girls  have 
been  imploring  him  to  turn  back  this  last  three  days 
while  we  were  stuck  in  the  cabin,  but  he  won't  listen 
to  them.  He's  a  maniac,  that's  what  he  is.  He 
doesn't  know  what  those  two  women  are  suffering 
through  his  darned  foolishness,  and  if  he  did  know 
it  wouldn't  trouble  him.  If  you  want  the  real  ex 
tract  of  selfishness  you  must  make  a  puncture  in 
a  scientific  guy  with  a  hobby,  and  you  can  get  as 
much  as  you  want." 

"Well,  I'm  going  along  to  see  what  happens," 
I  said.  "If  Leith  refuses  to  accept  me  I'm  going 
just  the  same." 

Holman  gripped  my  hand  —  gripped  it  fiercely, 
then  he  left  me  hurriedly. 

I  tramped  backward  and  forward  as  The  Waif 
sailed  steadily  through  the  waves  of  glittering 
mercury.  A  few  days  before,  when  I  was  an  occu- 


66  THE  WHITE  WATERFALL 

pant  of  "The  Rathole"  in  Levuka,  life  seemed  to 
be  empty  and  cold,  but  a  wonderful  change  had  come 
in  those  few  days.  Although  I  had  not  spoken  to 
Edith  Herndon  more  than  half  a  dozen  times,  it 
appeared  to  me  that  it  was  those  few  short  conver 
sations  that  had  chased  the  loneliness  and  morbid 
thoughts  from  my  mind.  Her  very  presence  stimu 
lated  me  in  a  manner  that  I  could  not  express, 
and  as  I  stared  out  across  the  moon-whitened  ocean 
I  started  nervously  at  the  thought  which  had  sprung 
suddenly  into  my  brain.  It  was  an  insane  thought, 
and  I  tried  to  laugh  it  away.  Edith  Herndon  was 
as  far  above  me  as  the  moon  was  above  the  waves 
that  were  silvered  by  her  beams.  I  pictured  myself 
lying  like  a  beachcomber  upon  the  pile  of  pearl  shell 
when  the  strange  chant  of  the  Maori  and  the  dead 
Toni  concerning  "the  way  to  heaven  out  of  Black 
Fernando's  hell"  had  come  to  my  ears,  and  I  blessed 
the  new  influence  which  had  come  into  my  life. 

"My  way  to  heaven  lies  in  this  direction,"  I 
soliloquized,  and  the  quivering  yacht  went  bound 
ing  on  as  I  allowed  wild  dreams  to  race  unchecked 
through  my  brain. 


CHAPTER  VI 

THE    ISLE    OF    TEARS 

A  SLEEPY  Samoan  in  the  main  cross-trees 
screamed  a  message  to  the  deck  while  the 
pink  flush  of  the  tropical  dawn  was  still  in 
the  sky,  and  The  Waif  plunged  through  the  water 
toward  the  island.  One  after  the  other  the  members 
of  the  expedition  came  on  deck.  Leith  stumbled 
up  when  Newmarch  shouted  down  the  information, 
and  the  big  brute  watched  the  tiny  spot  that  came 
gradually  nearer;  the  Professor  danced  up  like  an 
adventurous  boy,  and  he  gurgled  ecstatically  as  he 
peeped  over  the  rail;  while  the  two  girls  came  up 
arm  in  arm  and  looked  in  silence  across  the  dawn- 
reddened  waters.  Holman's  gaze  travelled  from 
the  island  to  Leith  and  back  again  to  the  island  as 

67 


68  THE  WHITE  WATERFALL 

if  he  was  trying  to  trace  a  criminal  connection  be 
tween  the  two. 

As  the  yacht  drew  closer  a  strange  silence  seemed 
to  fall  upon  the  vessel.  The  Professor's  gurgles 
of  joy  died  away  slowly,  and  none  of  the  others 
seemed  inclined  to  break  the  stillness.  The  crew  and 
the  half  dozen  islanders  that  Leith  had  brought 
to  carry  provisions  and  specimens  were  also  silent. 
They  were  grouped  for'ard,  but  not  a  murmur  came 
from  them  as  The  Waif  crept  slowly  ahead,  feeling 
her  way  cautiously  into  the  little  bay  on  the  north 
side  of  the  island  which  Leith  had  suggested  to  New- 
march  as  a  good  anchorage. 

The  peculiar  stories  that  had  gone  abroad  concern 
ing  the  Isle  of  Tears  were  responsible  for  most  of  the 
wide-eyed  looks  of  wonder  which  the  imaginative 
Polynesians  directed  upon  the  shore;  the  strange 
predicament  in  which  they  were  placed  tied  the 
tongues  of  the  two  girls;  the  Professor  was  think 
ing  of  the  archaeological  treasures,  while  thoughts 
that  one  could  only  guess  at  prevented  Leith  and 
Holman  from  speaking. 

The  island  had  a  strange,  wild  beauty  that  seemed 
to  throttle  speech.  The  underlying  coral  reefs  were 
of  colours  that  ran  from  pure  white  to  gorgeous 
crimson,  and  the  effect  upon  the  water  above  them 
was  v/onderful  to  behold.  The  Waif  seemed  to  make 
her  way  over  a  floor  of  beautiful  parquetry  which 


THE  ISLE  OF  TEARS  69 

Mother  Nature  had  been  constructing  for  centuries. 
Chameleon-tinted  seaweeds  stretched  upward,  wav 
ing  backward  and  forward  like  the  hair  of  sea  nymphs 
hidden  in  the  crevices  of  the  multi-coloured  rocks. 

The  vegetation  on  the  shore  was  weird  and 
wondrous.  The  trees  immediately  near  the  edge 
of  the  bay  were  covered  with  riotous  lianas  that 
looped  themselves  like  pythons  from  limb  to  limb, 
and  from  whose  green  masses  blazing  red  flowers 
appeared  at  intervals  like  watchful  eyes.  Scarlet 
hibiscus  and  perfumed  frangipanni  were  every 
where,  while  climbing  jasmine  tried  to  cover  up  the 
black  basalt  rocks  in  the  foreground  as  if  to  hide 
everything  that  was  ugly  from  the  eyes  of  the  visitor. 
The  sweet,  intoxicating  odours  came  out  to  us  in 
greeting,  yet  the  place  seemed  to  inspire  us  with  a 
feeling  of  awe  and  mystery  that  became  more  op 
pressive  as  the  yacht  moved  lazily  across  the 
bay. 

I  glanced  at  Edith  Herndon  at  the  moment  the 
anchor  plunged  down  into  the  bed  of  coral,  and  the 
look  of  perplexed  wonder  upon  her  face  startled  me. 

"It  looks  a  nice  place,  yet  it  feels  an  awful  spot," 
she  murmured.  "All  those  snaky  creepers  with 
their  coloured  flowers  seem  to  be  hiding  something." 

I  understood  her  feelings  regarding  the  place. 
That  look  of  weird  expectancy,  common  to  places 
that  are  cloaked  with  a  tremendous  silence,  had 


70  THE  WHITE  WATERFALL 

gripped  the  two  girls,  and  the  yacht  seemed  home 
like  when  they  compared  it  to  the  shore. 

"Oh,  Edith,"  cried  the  younger  sister,  "I  wish 
father  wouldn't  go!" 

"So  do  I,  dear,"  murmured  the  elder  girl,  "but 
it  is  useless  to  attempt  to  persuade  him  to  give  up 
the  quest." 

"But  I  hate  the  place!"  cried  Miss  Barbara. 
"Don't  you?" 

"Oh,  no,"  stammered  Edith,  bravely  attempting 
to  cheer  the  spirits  of  the  younger  girl.  "You  will 
not  be  lonely,  Barbara.  Mr.  Holman  and  father 
and  I  will  be  with  you,  and  perhaps  Mr.  Verslun 
will  be  in  our  company." 

Newmarch  approached  at  the  instant  and 
squeaked  out  an  answer  to  the  request  I  had  made 
the  previous  evening. 

"I  asked  Mr.  Leith  if  you  could  go  with  him," 
he  said,  "but  he  doesn't  think  you  would  be  of  any 
use.  He  has  all  the  help  he  requires,  so  you  had 
better  stay  on  the  yacht." 

There  was  a  slight  grin  on  his  thin  face  as  he 
imparted  the  information,  and  his  merriment  tickled 
me.  I  had  made  up  my  mind  without  waiting  for 
Leith's  decision,  and  I  was  more  pleased  than  an 
noyed  at  knowing  that  my  presence  was  not  desired 
with  the  party  that  went  inland. 

The  anchor  had  hardly  touched  the  bottom  be- 


THE  ISLE  OF  TEARS  71 

fore  Leith  started  to  transship  the  provisions  that 
were  required  for  the  trip  across  the  island.  The 
sight  of  land  seemed  to  stir  the  sallow-faced  giant 
out  of  the  lethargy  that  had  gripped  him  on  the  way 
down  from  Levuka.  He  suddenly  discovered  that 
the  mantle  of  authority  was  upon  his  shoulders, 
and  he  bullied  the  island  boys  as  they  lowered  the 
stores. 

Holman  was  right  when  he  stated  that  Soma  was 
the  man  that  Leith  had  picked  as  first  assistant. 
The  big  Kanaka  was  placed  in  charge  of  the  other 
five  carriers,  and  he  immediately  imitated  Leith 
by  shrieking  out  orders  and  strutting  about  in  a 
manner  that  was  ludicrous.  Professor  Herndon  was 
bubbling  over  with  excitement.  The  stories  which 
Leith  had  fed  to  him  continuously  concerning  the 
remains  of  an  extinct  civilization  had  worked  him 
up  to  a  pitch  that  bordered  on  insanity,  and  it  was 
pitiful  to  watch  him  as  he  made  endless  notes  in  the 
bulky  notebook. 

"I  shall  be  known  throughout  the  world  inside 
three  months,"  he  whispered  to  Leith. 

"In  less  than  that,"  drawled  the  giant. 

"Yes,  you're  right!"  snapped  the  dream-fed 
scientist.  "  If  everything  is  as  you  say  our  task  will 
be  an  easy  one.  Are  you  ready  Edith?  Barbara, 
come  along!" 

He  climbed  down  the  ladder  with  a  haste  that  was 


72  THE  WHITE  WATERFALL 

nearly  his  undoing,  as  he  let  go  his  grip  before  the 
boat  was  directly  beneath  him.  Holman  saved  him 
from  a  ducking,  but  his  solar  topee,  which  had  a 
distinctly  scientific  look,  was  soaked  in  salt  water 
before  it  could  be  rescued. 

Captain  Newmarch  stood  by  with  a  look  of  un 
concern  upon  his  thin  face  as  the  two  girls  went  over 
the  side,  and  he  gave  an  unintelligible  grunt  as 
Leith  followed.  Within  two  hours  after  The  Waif 
had  cast  anchor  the  two  boats  containing  the  stores 
and  the  ill-assorted  explorers  were  making  for  a 
small  promontory  that  stretched  out  like  a  green 
tongue  into  the  sparkling  waters  of  the  bay. 

Once  on  shore,  Leith  put  Soma  and  the  carriers 
in  the  lead,  Holman  and  the  two  girls  next,  with 
himself  and  the  Professor  bringing  up  the  rear,  and 
in  that  order  they  moved  across  the  little  strip  of 
white  sand  that  glittered  like  diamond  dust.  The 
heavy  green  foliage  came  out  to  meet  them,  dropped 
over  them  like  a  veil,  and  left  us  staring  at  the  riotous 
creeper  masses  with  the  brilliant  flower  eyes  that 
appeared  to  be  watching  The  Waif. 

Newmarch  gave  a  peculiar  chuckle  as  he  turned 
toward  me  when  the  party  had  disappeared. 

"Now,  Mr.  Verslun,"  he  cried,  "we  have  plenty 
work  to  keep  us  busy  for  the  week  or  so  we  will  be 
here.  Get  about  it  the  moment  the  boats  return, 
and  keep  the  men  on  the  jump." 


THE  ISLE  OF  TEARS  73 

I  nodded,  and  he  went  below  without  another 
word,  leaving  me  still  staring  at  the  spot  where 
the  explorers  had  dived  into  the  leafy  wall.  The 
strange  loneliness  of  the  place  seemed  to  clutch  me 
hard  at  that  moment,  and  I  mentally  abused  myself 
for  not  making  a  stronger  protest  against  the  whole 
affair.  But  I  knew  as  I  damned  my  own  inactivity 
that  protest  would  have  been  useless  as  far  as  the 
Professor  was  concerned,  and  the  filial  affection  of 
the  two  girls  would  not  allow  the  old  ancient  to  wan 
der  off  alone. 

I  had  planned  to  allow  the  party  a  few  hours'  start 
before  I  made  any  attempt  to  follow,  feeling  certain 
that  I  would  be  able  to  find  the  track,  and,  more 
over,  I  wished  to  catch  up  to  the  expedition  at  a 
point  where  Leith  would  have  no  chance  of  verifying 
the  story  I  would  tell  to  account  for  my  presence. 
The  big  brute  would  probably  think  I  was  lying  when 
I  told  him  that  Newmarch  had  sent  me  after  him, 
but  the  Professor's  desire  to  push  on  would  probably 
prevent  him  from  making  an  effort  to  check  my 
story  by  sending  a  runner  back  to  the  boat.  And 
luck  was  with  me  at  that  moment.  As  I  racked 
my  brain  in  the  construction  of  a  suitable  excuse 
to  account  for  my  appearance,  my  eyes  fell  upon 
the  Professor's  camera  that  had  been  overlooked  in 
the  hurry  of  departure,  and  I  sprang  upon  it  joy 
fully  and  hid  it  till  the  time  had  elapsed.  Knowing 


74  THE  WHITE  WATERFALL 

the  importance  which  the  old  scientist  attached  to 
the  photographs  which  he  intended  to  take,  I  knew 
that  he,  at  least,  would  reason  that  the  captain 
had  acted  wisely  in  sending  me  in  pursuit  with  the 
instrument,  and  I  trusted  that  his  gratitude  would 
move  him  to  get  Leith's  permission  to  allow  me  to 
remain  with  the  expedition. 

The  party  had  been  gone  some  six  hours  when  I 
slipped  over  the  side  into  the  dory.  Newmarch 
was  below,  and  only  one  of  the  crew  was  on  deck. 
I  seized  the  oars  and  struck  out  for  the  shore,  but 
I  had  hardly  covered  twenty  paces  when  the  captain 
rushed  to  the  rail,  took  one  glance  at  me,  and  then 
dashed  toward  the  companion-stairs. 

I  sensed  the  motive  in  that  mad  dash  for  the  cabin, 
and  I  pulled  madly.  Thoughts  of  Edith  Herndon 
thronged  my  brain,  and  I  drove  the  dory  toward 
the  promontory  with  every  ounce  of  strength  I  pos 
sessed.  To  return  to  the  yacht  while  she  was  in 
the  eerie  jungle-growth  under  Leith's  protection 
would  be  worse  than  death,  and  I  didn't  pause  for 
an  instant  when  the  captain's  squeaky  voice  hailed 
me. 

"Come  back  at  once!"  he  shouted.  "Are  you 
coming?" 

I  bent  my  back  to  the  oars  and  pulled  with  every 
muscle  strained.  The  perspiration  half  blinded  me, 
but  one  glance  upward  convinced  me  that  I  had 


THE  ISLE  OF  TEARS  75 

sensed  the  captain's  motive  when  I  saw  him  rush 
from  the  side.  He  was  standing  on  the  poop, 
taking  deliberate  aim  at  me  with  a  Winchester  rifle 
that  he  had  taken  from  the  rack  in  his  own  cabin. 

It  seemed  an  age  before  he  fired.  The  bullet 
missed  the  side  of  the  boat  by  about  three  inches, 
and  I  shrieked  my  defiance.  The  devil  had  my  nerves 
on  edge,  but  the  green  tongue  of  land  was  close,  and  I 
pulled  as  never  man  pulled  before. 

A  bullet  lodged  in  the  stern  of  the  boat,  another 
splintered  the  end  of  an  oar,  and  then  the  rifleman's 
nerves  must  have  got  the  better  of  him.  The  suc 
ceeding  shots  fell  wide,  and  I  whooped  like  a  mad 
man  as  I  drove  the  boat  on  to  the  green  tongue  of 
land.  Springing  out  hastily  I  made  a  dash  across  the 
white  strip  of  sand,  and  dived  into  the  moist  creeper 
growth. 

I  lay  there  panting,  watching  the  yacht  to  see  what 
Newmarch  would  do.  It  was  impossible  for  him 
to  leave  the  yacht  to  follow  me,  but  I  guessed  that 
he  would  make  an  attempt  to  communicate  with 
Leith.  And  I  guessed  rightly. 

I  had  not  been  five  minutes  in  the  bushes  when  a 
boat  put  off  for  the  shore.  It  contained  three  of  the 
crew,  two  Tannese  and  the  Fijian  that  I  had  found 
mourning  the  death  of  Toni,  his  "all  same  brother 
who  had  worked  with  him  at  Suva."  They  pulled 
for  the  spot  where  I  had  left  the  dory,  and  here  the 


76  THE  WHITE  WATERFALL 

Fijian  sprang  out,  while  the  others  proceeded  to 
tow  the  dory  back  to  The  Waif.  I  surmised  that 
Toni's  "all  same  brother"  had  been  sent  to  carry 
a  message  to  Leith,  and  I  lay  in  the  bushes  waiting 
as  he  raced  toward  me. 

Cautiously  he  clawed  his  way  through  the  under 
growth,  and  when  he  was  certain  that  the  creepers 
had  completely  veiled  him  from  the  eyes  of  watchers 
on  the  yacht  he  picked  up  a  small  flat  stone  from 
the  ground,  drew  a  yachting  knife  from  his  belt  and 
crouching  on  his  heels  started  to  sharpen  the  blade. 
As  he  rubbed  industriously  he  sang  a  weird  tune  in 
his  native  tongue,  rounding  off  each  verse  with  five 
words  in  English  that  explained  his  industry.  The 
words  were:  "Now  I'll  kill  you,  Soma,"  and  the 
chant  was  a  poem  of  consolation  to  the  spirit  of  the 
dead  Toni,  assuring  it  that  the  hour  of  vengeance 
was  at  hand,  and  that  Soma  would  go  to  the  great 
unknown  the  moment  he  got  within  reach  of  the 
yachting  knife. 

I  poked  my  head  from  my  hiding  place,  and  the 
Fijian  turned  quickly. 

"I  think  the  captain  told  Soma  to  kill  your 
brother,"  I  said  softly.  "If  the  captain  didn't  tell 
him,  Leith  did,  Kaipi." 

Kaipi  stopped  sharpening  the  blade  and  fixed 
his  big  eyes  upon  me.  "I  not  to  speak  to  you," 
he  said.  "Kapitani  tell  me  not  to.  I  go  catch  up 


THE  ISLE  OF  TEARS  77 

Leith,  give  him  one  piece  of  paper  the  Kapitani 
gave  me." 

"But  Soma?"  I  asked. 

"  I  kill  Soma  when  chance  comes,"  muttered  Kaipi. 

"Well,  we're  of  the  same  mind,  Kaipi,"  I  said 
pleasantly.  "Soma  is  no  friend  of  mine  and  I'll 
help  you  as  much  as  I  can  if  you  turn  over  the  note 
which  the  captain  gave  you  and  do  just  what  I  tell 
you.  Otherwise,  Kaipi,  I  have  a  revolver,  and  a 
knife  is  no  match  for  a  revolver." 

The  Fijian  considered  the  matter  for  a  few  mo 
ments,  his  dreamy  eyes  watching  me  the  while. 
At  that  moment  duty  was  forgotten  in  the  thirst 
for  vengeance  upon  Soma,  and  the  debate  with  his 
conscience  was  of  short  duration.  He  pulled  a  note 
from  the  folds  of  his  pareo  and  tossed  it  to  me  with 
a  short  laugh. 

"Me  not  care  about  that,"  he  grinned.  "Me 
catch  Soma,  that's  all." 

The  note  was  exceedingly  brief.     It  read: 

"The  mate  is  following  you.  —  NEWMARCH." 

Kaipi  had  returned  to  the  job  of  sharpening  his 
knife  in  which  I  had  interrupted  him,  and  at  inter 
vals  he  assured  the  dead  Toni  that  vengeance  was 
only  a  matter  of  a  few  hours.  As  far  as  I  was  con 
cerned  the  captain  could  not  have  chosen  a  better 
messenger. 


78  THE  WHITE  WATERFALL 

"Kaipi,"  I  said,  tearing  the  note  into  small 
pieces,  "you  have  been  sent  to  help  me  find  Leith 
and  the  Professor.  See,  I  have  the  Professor's 
picture  maker.  He  forgot  it  this  morning,  and  the 
captain  sent  you  and  me  to  take  it  to  him.  Do 
you  understand?" 

The  Fijian  grinned,  tried  the  edge  of  his  knife 
blade  with  the  ball  of  his  thumb,  then  sprang  to 
his  feet. 

"And  don't  be  in  too  great  a  hurry  to  fix  Soma," 
I  cautioned.  "Toni's  spirit  can  wait  a  few  days 
till  you  get  a  suitable  opportunity.  Now,  we'll 
strike  the  trail." 

Kaipi  grinned  again,  put  his  sharpened  knife  into 
his  belt  and  plunged  into  the  dense  undergrowth. 
The  snaky,  moist  lianas  made  progress  next  to 
impossible.  They  clung  around  our  legs  like  live 
things,  and  I  damned  the  Professor's  idiotic  craving 
for  notoriety  as  we  waded  through  the  clammy 
creepers  in  search  of  the  trail  made  by  the  party. 
The  prickly  rope-like  vines  seemed  to  be  in  league 
with  the  devil  who  was  leading  the  aged  scientist 
and  his  daughters  into  dangers  that  made  my  brain 
dizzy  as  I  attempted  to  dissect  the  possibilities  which 
imagination  put  forward. 

At  last  we  found  the  traces  of  Soma's  handiwork 
with  an  axe,  and  guided  by  these  signs  we  hurried 
forward.  The  ground  rose  gradually  toward  the 


THE  ISLE  OF  TEARS  79 

centre  of  the  island,  where  columns  of  basalt  loomed 
like  the  towers  of  feudal  castles  against  the  pure 
Venetian  blue  of  the  tropical  sky.  But  the  sky  was 
visible  only  for  moments  that  were  far  removed  from 
each  other.  The  crawling  vines  that  overran  the 
trees  made  an  impenetrable  barrier  against  the 
sunlight,  and  most  of  the  time  we  were  stumbling 
along  in  a  mysterious  twilight  that  increased  my 
nervous  agony.  Masses  of  rock  of  volcanic  origin 
were  thickly  strewn  around,  and  anything  like  fast 
travelling  was  impossible. 

The  sun  dropped  slowly  toward  the  west,  and  we 
had  great  difficulty  in  holding  to  the  path.  The 
axe  marks  and  the  branches  broken  by  the  carriers 
were  really  the  only  signs  that  we  had  to  go  by,  but 
the  eyes  of  the  Fijian  were  exceedingly  sharp  in 
detecting  the  slightest  evidence  left  by  the  party. 
We  passed  the  spot  where  they  had  lunched,  and 
increased  our  speed  in  an  endeavour  to  overtake 
them  before  nightfall.  The  silence  and  unexplainable 
mystery  of  the  place  made  me  anxious  to  catch  up 
with  them  before  the  darkness  came  down,  while 
hunger  and  revenge  made  Kaipi  move  at  a  speed 
that  was  most  unusual. 

Darkness  came  down  like  a  suffocating  blanket, 
and  we  halted. 

"No  go  farther,"  muttered  Kaipi.  "Better  make 
fire  and  sleep.  Catch  um  to-morrow." 


80  THE  WHITE  WATERFALL 

I  sat  down  while  the  Fijian  gathered  a  pile  of 
rotten  wood,  but  before  he  could  set  fire  to  the  heap 
I  was  on  my  feet  clawing  my  way  into  the  darkness 
in  front.  From  somewhere  out  of  the  inky  night 
came  the  voice  of  Edith  Herndon  lifted  up  in  a  little 
Italian  melody  that  I  had  heard  her  singing  the 
night  we  left  Levuka.  It  seemed  to  me  that  she 
suspected  my  near  presence,  and  that  she  was 
singing  to  guide  me  to  the  spot  where  the  party  had 
camped. 

Five  minutes  afterward  Kaipi  and  I  stumbled  into 
the  circle  of  light  round  the  fire,  and  Leith  sprang 
to  his  feet  with  a  growl  of  rage. 

"What's  this?"  he  cried.  "Who  the  devil  gave 
you  permission  to  come  here?" 

"The  captain  sent  me,"  I  replied,  looking  straight 
at  the  giant  as  I  fired  the  lie  at  him.  "The  carriers 
forgot  Professor  Herndon's  camera,  and  Captain 
Newmarch  sent  Kaipi  and  me  after  you." 

Leith's  mutterings  were  drowned  by  the  scientist's 
cries  of  joy  as  he  took  the  camera  from  my  hand, 
and  the  big  brute  had  time  to  recover  himself  before 
the  Professor  had  stopped  chattering.  I  guessed 
that  he  reasoned  that  it  would  be  bad  policy  to  show 
that  he  was  angry  at  my  arrival,  while  the  camera 
partly  convinced  him  that  I  had  told  the  truth. 
His  surprise  and  the  Professor's  evident  pleasure 
made  me  think  it  an  opportune  moment  to  put 


THE  ISLE  OF  TEARS  81 

forward  a  request  to  stay  with  the  party,  and  I  put 
my  wish  into  words. 

"Captain  Newmarch  said  that  Kaipi  and  I  might 
go  along  if  you  and  Professor  Herndon  had  no  objec 
tions,"  I  lied.  "He  thought  we  would  prove  useful." 

Leith  scowled  angrily,  but  the  Professor  gave  an 
immediate  assent  to  the  request.  His  short-sighted 
ness  prevented  him  from  noticing  the  frown  which 
passed  over  the  face  of  his  partner,  but  the  sour 
look  fled  immediately  the  two  girls  expressed  a  desire 
to  keep  me  in  the  party. 

"Oh,  please  let  Mr.  Verslun  come,"  cried  Miss 
Barbara.  "It  will  make  it  ever  so  much  more 
pleasant." 

"I  was  thinking  of  the  stock  of  food,"  growled 
Leith,  as  if  attempting  to  explain  his  evident  dis 
pleasure. 

"I'll  go  on  half  measure  and  let  Mr.  Verslun  have 
the  other  half,"  laughed  Holman. 

"And  he  can  have  some  of  mine,"  cried  Miss 
Barbara. 

"And  mine,"  murmured  Edith. 

Leith  grinned  as  he  noted  the  feeling  of  the  party. 
It  would  not  be  diplomatic  to  go  against  the  wishes 
of  all,  and  he  knew  it.  With  a  wave  of  his  hand  he 
ordered  Kaipi  to  the  fire  where  Soma  and  the  other 
five  islanders  were  sitting,  and  nodded  his  head  as 
an  intimation  that  I  could  stay. 


82  THE  WHITE  WATERFALL 

"By  the  way,"  he  growled,  as  I  fell  upon  the  plate 
of  tinned  salmon  which  Edith  Herndon  handed  to 
me,  "who  was  doing  the  shooting  this  afternoon?" 

"I  was,"  I  replied.  "I  fired  my  revolver  half  a 
dozen  times  when  we  got  off  the  trail  and  couldn't 
find  our  way  back  to  it.  I  thought  on  account  of 
the  way  that  the  path  wound  in  and  out  that  your 
party  might  be  near  the  spot  where  we  were  bushed." 

He  made  no  further  comment  and  I  breathed  a 
sigh  of  relief.  Unless  Newmarch  sent  a  second  mes 
senger  to  make  sure  that  the  news  of  my  desertion 
would  reach  Leith,  I  felt  that  I  was  safe. 


CHAPTER  VII 

THE    PIT 

WE  WERE  under  way  early  on  the  morning 
after  I  joined  the  party.      Leith  had  the 
camp  astir  by  daybreak,  and  after  a  hasty 
breakfast  we  trailed  off  behind  Soma  and  the  car 
riers,  heading  directly  toward  the  basalt  towers  that 
rose  up  in  the  middle  of  the  island. 

I  for  one  was  not  sorry  that  we  were  making  an 
early  start.  All  through  the  night  I  lay  awake 
expecting  another  member  of  the  crew  to  rush  into 
camp  with  a  message  from  Newmarch  to  Leith, 
and  when  we  started  on  the  trail,  I  took  particular 
care  to  lag  behind  the  procession  for  the  first  few 
hours  so  that  I  would  be  in  a  position  to  intercept 
any  diligent  runner  from  The  Waif.  I  took  the 

83 


84  THE  WHITE  WATERFALL 

first  opportunity  of  telling  Holman  of  the  manner 
in  which  the  bilious  Englishman  had  hastened  my 
departure  with  the  Winchester,  and  the  youngster's 
face  wore  a  perplexed  expression. 

"That  precious  captain  is  Leith's  partner  in 
villainy,"  he  cried,  "but  our  hands  are  tied.  The 
Professor  is  simply  crazy  with  delight  over  the 
things  that  the  brute  is  going  to  guide  him  to, 
and  all  our  suspicions  don't  amount  to  much  when 
you  put  them  together.  You  see  we've  got  nothing 
definite  to  go  on  at  present.  All  we  can  do  is  to 
watch  and  wait,  and  be  ready  to  act  when  the 
moment  comes.  Soma  and  his  five  mates  are 
Leith's  pets,  you  can  bet  your  life  on  that,  but  we 
have  one  ally  in  your  friend  Kaipi." 

The  path  of  the  preceding  day  was  smooth  com 
pared  to  the  ground  we  climbed  over  that  morning. 
There  was  no  trail  as  far  as  we  could  see.  Soma, 
who  was  in  the  lead,  found  his  way  by  occasional 
marks  that  could  only  be  visible  to  the  eye  of  a 
native.  Barbara  Herndon  remarked  on  one  oc 
casion  that  there  was  danger  of  our  getting  lost, 
but  Leith  grinned  at  the  remark. 

"Soma  has  been  here  more  than  once,"  he  re 
plied.  "What  he  doesn't  know  about  this  place 
isn't  worth  knowing. " 

The  path  continued  to  ascend,  but  the  thick 
tropical  growth  did  not  lessen  during  the  tramp 


THE  PIT  85 

of  the  morning.  Leith  walked  with  the  Professor, 
who  appeared  to  be  in  a  state  of  joy  bordering  upon 
hysteria,  while  Holman  and  I  in  the  rear  tried  to 
assist  the  two  girls  over  the  roughest  sections  of 
the  road.  I  thought  as  we  scrambled  through 
impenetrable  scrub  and  crawled  over  rocky  piles 
that  it  was  the  strangest  expedition  that  had  ever 
set  forth.  If  Leith  was  the  wicked  devil  that  we 
suspected  him  to  be,  four  persons  were  risking  their 
'ives  to  gratify  the  whim  of  a  half-crazy  scientist 
.vho  was  dying  for  notoriety.  He  would  not  be 
.urned  aside  from  his  pursuit  of  the  specimens 
which  Leith  had  told  him  of;  his  daughters  would 
not  desert  him,  and  their  resolve  had  brought 
Holman  and  myself.  We  were  blind  automatons 
that  the  fame-seeking  archaeologist  was  dragging 
at  his  heels.  He  did  not  consider  the  sufferings  of 
the  two  girls;  least  of  all  did  he  think  that  Holman 
or  myself  was  doing  anything  to  safeguard  his  life 
or  property.  He  was  blind  to  everything  but  the 
natural  curiosities  around  him,  and  he  made  fre 
quent  entries  in  the  notebook  that  was  to  be  his 
crutch  to  Olympus. 

Leith  did  not  allow  me  to  remain  long  in  the  rear. 
He  called  me  up  to  the  front,  and  very  politely 
asked  me  to  help  in  hustling  along  the  carriers  who 
were  inclined  to  dawdle  as  the  way  grew  rougher, 
and,  although  I  would  much  rather  have  had  the 


86  THE  WHITE  WATERFALL 

task  of  helping  the  two  girls,  I  had  to  accept  the 
position  without  demur.  Leith  was  in  charge, 
and  Holman  and  I  were  only  intruders  who  had  on 
standing,  and  whose  food  was  paid  for  by  the 
Professor. 

We  halted  at  midday  in  an  ugly-looking  spot  far 
up  the  shoulder  of  the  mountain  that  we  were  climb 
ing,  and  through  a  break  in  the  trees  we  caught  a 
glimpse  of  the  Pacific.  The  ocean  seemed  directly 
beneath  us,  and  yet,  as  Edith  Herndon  expressed  it, 
we  seemed  to  be  a  thousand  leagues  away  from  it. 

"This  horrible  silence  makes  me  long  for  the 
clean  sound  of  the  waves,"  she  whispered,  as  I 
rolled  a  stone  over  to  make  her  a  seat.  "This 
stillness  stops  one  from  speaking.  Do  you  know 
that  Barbara  and  I  haven't  spoken  a  word  during 
the  last  hour?  We  simply  hadn't  the  courage  to 
make  the  effort. " 

Under  the  watchful  eye  of  Leith  I  endeavoured 
to  cheer  her  up,  while  inwardly  I  cursed  the  prat 
tling  old  Professor  who  chattered  of  the  honours  he 
expected  as  the  rewards  of  his  discoveries.  The 
affair  was  enough  to  bring  tears  to  the  eyes  of  a 
man  with  a  heart  of  stone. 

"I'm  just  thinking  we  should  have  stopped  this 
business  before  it  got  this  far,"  muttered  Holman, 
as  he  reached  closer  to  get  a  light  for  his  cigarette. 

"What  should  we  have  done?"  I  asked. 


We  halted  at  midday  in  an  ugly-looking  spot  far  up  the 
shoulder  of  the  mountain." 


THE  PIT  87 

"I  don't  know,"  he  growled.  "We  should  have 
done  something  though.  Pity  we  didn't  lose  Leith 
overboard  with  your  friend  Toni." 

"What's  wrong  now?     Has  anything  happened?" 

"No,  nothing  has  happened,"  he  replied.  "I 
wish  something  would.  This  silence  is  beginning 
to  put  my  nerves  on  edge,  but  I'm  afraid  to  yell  out 
for  fear  that  I  might  wake  something  that  has  been 
dead  for  centuries.  Does  it  strike  you  that  way?" 

"Very  much." 

"Well,  it's  the  same  with  the  girls,"  muttered 
Holman.  "The  stillness  of  the  place  has  brought 
their  ordinary  conversational  tone  down  to  a  whisper. " 

Leith  lurched  across  and  interrupted  our  conversa 
tion.  "Get  the  boys  going,  Mr.  Verslun,"  he  said. 
"We  want  to  cross  the  Vermilion  Pit  while  the 
light  is  good,  and  it  is  hard  going  from  here  on." 

We  started  forward  up  the  boulder-strewn  slope, 
and  with  each  step  the  difficulties  of  the  ascent 
became  greater.  I  took  an  axe  and  helped  Soma 
chop  a  path  which  would  make  it  easier  for  the  two 
sisters,  but  no  matter  what  amount  of  trouble  we 
took,  they  found  it  a  difficult  matter  to  follow. 
Once,  goaded  into  fury  by  Leith's  attempts  to  hurry 
the  girls  when  Holman  was  assisting  them  over  a 
particularly  rough  stretch,  I  turned  upon  the  old 
scientist  who  was  puffing  along  with  the  natives  irt 
the  lead. 


88  THE  WHITE  WATERFALL 

The  half-insane  ancient  heard  my  outburst  to 
the  end,  staring  at  me  through  the  thick  lenses  of 
his  glasses  as  if  I  was  some  new  kind  of  a  bug  whose 
appearance  he  wished  to  implant  firmly  within  his 
mind. 

"Science  calls  for  sacrifices,"  he  squeaked.  "If 
my  daughters  are  heroines  who  wish  to  share  my 
hardships  in  the  pursuit  of  information  that  will 
be  of  great  benefit  to  the  world,  I  fail  to  see  what  it 
has  to  do  with  you,  sir!" 

"But  they  have  no  interest  in  your  silly  dis 
coveries,"  I  cried.  "They  are  doing  this  infernal 
tramp  to  look  after  you.  Do  you  hear?" 

"Confound  you,  sir!"  he  screamed.  "Mind  your 
own  business  and  don't  interfere  with  mine!" 

I  choked  down  my  wrath  as  Leith  came  crashing 
through  from  the  rear,  and  the  old  egoist,  flushed 
and  ruffled,  dropped  back  to  meet  him,  evidently 
convinced  of  my  insanity  through  my  inability  to 
appreciate  his  efforts  to  prove  that  the  skulls  of 
long-dead  Polynesians  possessed  peculiar  formations 
they  were  foreign  to  the  islanders  of  the  present 
day. 

It  was  about  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  when 
we  began  to  draw  near  the  Vermilion  Pit  which 
Leith  had  mentioned  when  he  had  urged  haste  at 
the  midday  luncheon.  The  surroundings  became 
more  strange  and  mysterious  with  each  step  we  took. 


THE  PIT  89 

The  basalt  peaks  that  we  had  noticed  from  the  deck 
of  The  Waif  were  now  quite  close  to  us,  and  they 
seemed  to  move  in  upon  us  from  both  sides.  The 
trees  and  lianas  became  less  numerous,  and  the 
black  rocks  came  toward  us  in  a  sinister  manner 
that  conjured  up  thoughts  of  a  dead  something 
toward  which  the  encircling  ridges  were  guiding 
us  like  the  arms  of  a  corral.  The  place  was  fear- 
inspiring.  It  had  the  unearthly  appearance  that 
made  the  imaginative  minds  of  the  ancients  people 
the  silent  woods  with  devils  and  dryads.  The  soft 
moaning  of  the  Pacific  was  barred  out  by  the  leafy 
barriers,  and  we  walked  in  a  silence  that  was  tre 
mendous.  The  ticking  of  our  watches  sounded  to 
our  strained  ears  like  the  blows  of  a  hammer,  and 
once,  when  the  Professor  sneezed  mightily,  Miss 
Barbara  gave  a  scream  of  fear  before  she  realized 
what  had  caused  the  noise. 

The  ascent  became  still  more  difficult.  The 
natives  purled  under  their  loads,  and  Holman  rushed 
angrily  to  the  front  and  demanded  a  halt  on  behalf 
of  the  girls  struggling  in  the  rear.  During  the  few 
minutes  that  Leith  grudgingly  allowed  them  in  which 
to  recover  their  breath,  the  youngster  hurried  up  to 
the  spot  where  I  was  busy  fixing  the  loads  of  the 
natives,  and  in  a  nervous  whisper  he  asked  my 
opinion  of  the  route. 

"Where  the  dickens  are    we    going?"  he    cried. 


90  THE  WHITE  WATERFALL 

"This  is  the  most  eerie-looking  patch  of  country 
that  I  have  ever  seen  in  my  life. " 

"Leith  said  that  we  had  to  reach  the  Vermilion 
Pit  before  the  sun  went  down,"  I  replied.  "I  guess 
it  is  somewhere  at  the  end  of  this  staircase  that  we 
are  trying  to  climb." 

"Oh,  Gee!"  cried  the  boy.  "Say,  this  game  has 
got  those  two  girls  scared  to  death.  There's  some 
thing  wrong  with  the  place,  Verslun.  My  skin 
feels  it.  The  island  looks  as  if  it  has  been  left  too 
long  by  itself,  and  I'm  beginning  to  think  that  all 
those  rocks  and  trees  are  watching  us  and  wondering 
what  we  want  here. " 

That  was  how  it  felt  to  me  from  the  moment  I 
had  left  The  Waif,  and  I  had  tried  vainly  to  over 
come  the  feeling.  The  island  seemed  to  resent  the 
appearance  of  human  beings.  It  possessed  a  per 
sonality  through  being  too  long  by  itself.  It  had 
wrapped  itself  round  a  dead  past,  and  we  were 
filled  with  the  awe  which  suddenly  strikes  the  un 
imaginative  globe  trotter  who  wanders  into  the  cool 
recesses  of  a  Hindu  temple.  And  I  was  of  the  same 
opinion  as  Holman  regarding  the  trees  and  rocks. 
Traders  in  the  lonely  spots  of  the  Pacific  have  gone 
insane  through  becoming  convinced  that  the  moun 
tains  and  the  trees  were  watching  their  movements, 
and  the  trees  and  rocks  upon  the  Isle  of  Tears  struck 
me  as  possessing  a  watchfulness  that  smacked  of  the 


THE  PIT  91 

supernatural.  I  thought  of  the  story  which  the 
sailor  told  in  the  cafe  chantant  at  Papeete  just  then, 
and  I  was  inclined  to  give  it  more  credence  than  I 
had  at  the  moment  he  narrated  it. 

But  I  tried  to  rally  Holman  so  that  he  would  cheer 
up  Edith  Herndon  and  her  sister. 

"You're  like  an  old  woman,"  I  growled.  "Go 
back  to  the  girls  and  make  them  laugh  over  some 
funny  stories  instead  of  getting  nightmares  about 
the  scenery.  Why,  this  place  reminds  me  of  a  real 
pretty  bit  of  scenery  near  my  home  town  in  Maine. " 

Of  course  I  lied  when  I  said  that.  You  couldn't 
find  any  scenery  like  that  outside  the  tropics.  That 
place  was  queer;  there  wasn't  the  slightest  doubt 
about  that.  I  recalled  as  I  stumbled  along  how  a 
trader  at  Metalanim  in  the  Caroline  Islands  had 
swam  out  to  our  schooner  when  we  were  down 
there  the  previous  year,  and  how  the  poor  devil  had 
told  old  Hergoff,  the  captain,  that  a  chatak  tree 
at  the  back  of  his  hut  had  begun  to  make  faces  at 
him,  and  I  began  to  understand  the  complaint  that 
had  gripped  that  trader  as  I  climbed  along  by  the 
side  of  the  puffing  islanders.  He  had  been  jammed 
up  too  close  against  a  personality.  When  a  place 
has  been  too  long  by  itself,  as  Holman  had  remarked, 
it  cultivates  a  strength  that  tries  the  nerves  of  an 
explorer,  more  especially  if  it  is  situated  near  the 
equator.  Places  like  Papua,  the  Caroline  Islands, 


9*  THE  WHITE  WATERFALL 

parts  of  Borneo,  and  the  Never  Never  country  in 
inland  Australia  seem  to  possess  a  fist  that  attempts 
to  push  you  off  when  you  endeavour  to  bring  the 
atmosphere  of  civilization  into  a  silence  that  has 
been  unbroken  for  centuries. 

Holman  went  back  to  the  sisters,  and  we  moved 
slowly  forward.  The  basalt  rocks  came  closer, 
showing  plainly  through  the  breaks  in  the  lianas 
that  grew  less  thickly  on  the  higher  slopes.  The 
creepers  fell  away  slowly,  as  if  they  had  done  the 
work  they  were  required  to  do,  and  before  we  real 
ized  it  we  were  walking  between  two  natural  walls  of 
rock  about  eighteen  feet  high,  above  which  the  sky 
looked  like  a  strip  of  blue  paper  that  rested  upon 
the  marvellously  even  tops  of  the  barriers. 

The  Professor  was  gurgling  joyfully  as  we  tramped 
through  that  miniature  canon.  He  was  bumping 
up  against  new  wonders  at  every  footstep,  and  he 
stumbled  continuously  as  he  endeavoured  to  jot  down 
his  impressions  in  the  fat  notebook.  The  Professor 
felt  nothing  mysterious  about  the  place.  He  had 
the  bullet-proof  skin  of  your  cold  analyst  who  yearns 
eternally  for  facts. 

"Wonderful  geological  formation!"  he  chattered. 
"My  friend  Professor  Hanlaw  of  Oakland  would 
enjoy  a  glimpse  of  this  spot.  A  geologist  could 
spend  a  lifetime  here." 

Leith's  sallow  face  was  disturbed  by  a  grin  as  he 


THE  PIT  93 

listened  to  the  old  science-crazed  ancient  disbursing 
information  regarding  the  formation  of  the  rock. 
It  troubled  me  little  at  that  moment  whether  feld 
spar  and  augite  were  the  two  largest  components, 
and  I  knew  that  Holman  and  the  two  girls  were 
not  interested.  We  knew  that  the  place  was  ugly 
and  sinister,  but  feldspar  and  augite  didn't  give 
it  that  look. 

The  height  of  the  walls  increased  as  we  advanced. 
We  were  in  a  narrow  roadway  scarcely  more  than 
twelve  feet  across,  while  on  each  side  rose  the  nearly 
perpendicular  rocks  that  blocked  our  view  of  the 
country  immediately  beyond.  The  ground  beneath 
our  feet  was  covered  with  small  bits  of  lava  from  the 
crevices  of  which  the  moist  flabby  leaves  of  the  nupu 
plant  stuck  up  like  fat  green  ringers. 

As  we  stared  ahead  we  noted  that  the  road  seemed 
to  dip  suddenly  as  if  the  highest  point  of  the  island 
was  reached  at  that  spot,  and  the  prospects  of  a  walk 
upon  a  down  grade  were  cheering  after  the  stiff 
climbs.  As  we  neared  the  place,  Soma,  who  was 
walking  about  ten  paces  in  front  of  the  carriers, 
slackened  speed,  and  the  islanders  dropped  back  till 
Leith  and  the  Professor  led  the  procession. 

Leith  halted  and  beckoned  to  the  two  girls  and 
Holman,  who  were  some  distance  in  the  rear.  "Hurry 
up!"  he  cried.  "You'll  get  the  sight  of  your  lives  in 
a  few  moments." 


94  THE  WHITE  WATERFALL 

"What  is  it?"  gurgled  the  Professor. 

Leith  grinned  as  the  scientist  dipped  his  lead 
pencil  into  his  open  mouth  so  that  he  would  be  able 
to  dab  down  first  impressions  the  moment  he  turned 
his  thick  lenses  upon  the  wonders. 

"You'll  see  in  a  moment,"  replied  the  big  brute, 
as  he  walked  slowly  forward,  and  just  as  he  spoke, 
we  did  see. 

A  ridge  of  bright  vermilion  came  up  suddenly 
about  one  hundred  feet  from  the  point  where  the  road 
seemed  to  dip,  and  we  walked  forward  wondering 
what  lay  between  the  spot  where  the  track  ended 
and  the  bright  barrier  of  rock  that  appeared  to  rise 
higher  as  we  approached  the  end  of  the  trail.  We 
seemed  to  sense  the  approach  of  something  that 
chilled  and  yet  attracted.  The  place  possessed  a 
devilish  fascination.  It  seemed  to  repel  with  its  very 
uncanniness,  and  yet  I  was  aware  that  I  was  imi 
tating  Holman  in  thrusting  forward  my  head  in  an 
endeavour  to  see  what  filled  the  space  that  was  hidden 
from  our  eyes. 

The  desire  was  soon  satisfied.  Fifteen  paces 
brought  us  to  a  point  that  left  the  strange  curiosity 
naked  to  our  eyes.  The  vermilion  walls,  thirty- 
yards  in  front  of  us,  formed  part  of  the  sides  of  an 
enormous  circular  crater,  and  we  stood  spellbound 
as  we  pulled  up  within  a  few  feet  of  the  ledge  and 
looked  into  the  fearsome  depths  beneath. 


THE  PIT  95 

"Ladies  and  gentlemen,"  drawled  Leith,  looking 
around  at  us  with  the  air  of  a  cheap  showman  spring 
ing  a  novelty  upon  a  gaping  mob,  "you  are  on  the 
edge  of  the  Vermilion  Pit,  the  greatest  wonder  be 
tween  Penang  and  the  Paumotus." 


•",     , 

\& 


CHAPTER  VIII 

^» 

THE   LEDGE   OF  DEATH 

I  SUPPOSE  that  Leith  was  not  far  wrong 
when  he  gave  that  place  the  credit  of  be 
ing  the  most  wonderful  spot  in  Polynesia. 
None  of  us  felt  inclined  to  contradict  him  as  we 
stood  near  the  lip  of  the  crater  and  gazed  into  it. 
The  thing  appalled  us.  It  looked  as  if  some  fiend 
had  bored  it  between  those  barriers  of  black  rock 
as  a  trap  for  man  and  beast.  The  entire  inner  walls, 
probably  from  the  action  of  intense  heat  upon  a 
peculiar  kind  of  rock,  were  of  a  bright  vermilion 
near  the  top,  gradually  changing  into  darker  shades 
as  the  eye  followed  them  deeper  and  deeper  till  the 
outline  was  lost  in  the  depths  of  the  mighty  cauldron. 

96 


THE  LEDGE  OF  DEATH  97 

The  inky  clouds,  which  seemed  to  heave  like  black 
masses  of  cotton  wool  far  down  in  the  abyss,  left 
the  imagination  to  perform  acrobatic  feats  as  it 
attempted  to  picture  the  possible  depths  that  lav 
below.  The  thing  was  weird,  terrible,  fear-inspiring. 
It  looked  like  a  mighty  crucible  in  which  infernal 
things  might  have  been  manufactured  in  the  days 
when  the  world  was  taking  shape. 

The  rays  of  the  westering  sun  beat  upon  the  sides 
directly  opposite  our  point  of  observation,  and  the 
colours  seemed  to  leap  from  the  rock.  It  glowed  in 
a  manner  that  was  indescribable.  Sudden  flashes 
came  from  it  as  if  the  vermilion  mass  was  studded 
with  blazing  carbuncles,  but  the  fascinating  beauty 
of  the  part  that  was  exposed  to  the  rays  was  in 
violent  contrast  to  the  cold  depths  where  the  mind 
pictured  a  body  falling  through  leagues  of  space. 

For  about  five  minutes  no  one  spoke.  The  awful 
suddenness  with  which  the  thing  had  appeared  in 
our  path  throttled  conversation.  An  inner  self 
connected  the  pit  with  the  singular  feeling  of  de 
pression  which  had  gripped  us  the  moment  we 
landed  upon  the  island,  and  we  stood  breathless, 
wondering  stupidly  how  we  had  sensed  the  ver 
milion-lined  horror  into  which  the  path  led. 

It  was  the  Professor  who  broke  the  silence.  The 
momentary  awe  which  he  experienced  when  the 
strange  freak  of  nature  sprang  up  before  his  eyes 


was  dispelled  by  the  vanity  which  prompted  him  to 
air  his  knowledge  concerning  the  cause  of  the  vivid 
colours  which  seemed  to  radiate  from  the  walls.  He 
prattled  upon  the  effect  of  heat  upon  minerals  till 
he  made  us  dizzy,  and  Holman  broke  in  upon  his 
chatter  with  a  question  that  he  fired  point  blank 
at  Leith. 

"But  what  did  we  climb  up  here  for?"  asked  the 
youngster.  "Did  we  come  for  the  view  alone?" 

Leith  grinned  as  he  surveyed  the  questioner. 
"No,  we  didn't  come  for  the  view,"  he  answered. 
"It  happens  to  be  on  the  way  to  our  destination." 

Holman  looked  around  at  the  basalt  walls  that 
hemmed  us  in  on  both  sides,  and  then  glanced  at 
the  pit  in  front. 

"But  we  can  go  no  farther,"  he  said. 

Leith's  smile  spread  across  his  ugly  flat  face. 
"You  are  too  young  to  know  everything, "  he  sneered. 

The  youngster's  eyes  opened  as  he  looked  again 
at  the  circular  pit  with  its  brilliantly  tinted  sides. 
The  answer  perplexed  him,  and  he  waited  anxiously 
for  an  explanation. 

"But  how  can  we?"  he  asked. 

Leith  stood  for  a  moment  before  replying,  then 
he  moved  closer  to  the  edge  of  the  crater  and  pointed 
down. 

"The  road  is  directly  beneath  you,"  he  remarked. 
"If  you  come  closer  to  the  edge  you  can  see  it." 


THE  LEDGE  OF  DEATH  99 

Holman  glanced  at  me  in  amazement,  and  moved 
by  the  one  impulse  we  stepped  toward  the  ledge. 
The  rim  of  the  vast  pit,  at  the  point  where  Leith  was 
standing,  was  composed  of  porphyry  of  a  dark-green 
shade,  and  as  we  neared  the  edge  we  noticed  that  this 
had  been  worn  to  that  peculiar  velvety  smoothness 
that  one  notices  on  the  pillars  of  Indian  temples, 
where  the  sweaty  hands  of  millions  of  worshippers 
have  helped  in  the  polishing  process  through  un 
numbered  centuries. 

Leith  noticed  that  our  glances  were  directed  upon 
the  peculiar  polished  portion  of  the  rim,  and  his 
grin  broadened. 

"You  won't  be  the  first  to  go  over  on  to  the  track 
below,"  he  drawled.  "If  I  had  a  dollar  for  every 
man  who  slipped  over  here  since  the  world  began 
I  wouldn't  bother  with  specimens  for  American 
and  European  museums.  See,  the  ledge  is  directly 
beneath,  and  it  leads  away  to  the  right." 

We  stretched  out  our  necks  and  looked,  and  I 
tried  to  thrust  back  the  exclamation  that  came  to 
my  lips.  Directly  beneath  the  polished  part  of 
the  rim,  and  about  four  feet  below  it,  was  a  ledge 
barely  three  feet  wide,  and  this  narrow  path  wound 
away  to  the  right  and  disappeared  through  a 
cavernous  opening  in  the  brightly  tinted  walls  of 
the  crater.  The  ledge  was  bare  and  unprotected, 
polished  to  the  same  velvety  smoothness  as  the  spot 


ioo  THE  WHITE  WATERFALL 

on  the  rim  near  which  we  stood,  and  when  one 
looked  at  it  and  then  let  his  eyes  glance  over 
the  infernal  depths  that  were  immediately  be 
neath,  the  brain  reeled  with  thoughts  of  the 
danger  to  which  a  climber  v/ould  be  exposed 
while  making  his  way  along  it  to  the  cavern  in 
the  wall. 

Holman  took  a  great  breath  of  air  and  turned 
savagely  upon  Leith. 

"What  sort  of  a  fool  game  are  you  up  to?"  he 
cried.  "What  do  you  mean?" 

Leith's  lower  jaw  came  forward  menacingly. 
"You  had  better  hold  your  tongue!"  he  roared. 
"If  you  don't  I'll  — I'll-  -  " 

He  stopped  and  glared  at  the  young  fellow,  a 
murderous  expression  creeping  over  his  sallow  face. 
The  half- voiced  objection  to  the  route  had  stirred 
all  the  sleeping  devil  in  him,  and  the  big  stubby 
fingers  crooked  as  if  certain  they  would  be  called 
upon  to  grip  Holman's  throat. 

"You'll  do  what?"  asked  the  youngster  coolly. 

"I'll  bundle  you  back  to  the  yacht!"  screamed 
the  giant.  "You've  been  allowed  to  come  on  this 
trip  through  the  good  nature  of  Professor  Herndon, 
but  you  mustn't  think  you  have  any  voice  in  the 
direction  of  affairs." 

Holman  did  not  reply.  The  dangers  of  the  path 
over  which  it  was  evident  that  Leith  intended  to 


THE  LEDGE  OF  DEATH  101 

take  us  dazed  him,  and  he  looked  at  me  as  if  asking 
confirmation  of  his  opinions. 

"But  the  young  ladies?"  I  inquired,  looking  at 
Leith.  "Do  you  expect  them  to  go  down  on  to  that 
path?" 

"I  don't  expect  the  young  ladies  to  do  anything 
against  their  inclinations,"  he  answered  blandly. 
"They  have  come  with  the  expedition  through  no 
urging  from  me.  Regarding  the  ledge,  there  is  abso 
lutely  no  danger,  and  it  is  the  only  path  by  which 
we  can  reach  the  interior  of  the  island.  Soma,  go 
over  the  rim  and  show  them." 

Edith  and  Barbara  Herndon,  with  their  father, 
moved  up  closer  to  the  edge  as  the  grinning  Kanaka 
stepped  forward  to  obey  Leith's  order.  He  walked 
quickly  to  the  polished  porphyry  slab,  moved  cau 
tiously  to  the  extreme  rim,  then,  turning  his  back 
on  the  crater,  he  dropped  upon  his  hands  and  knees 
and  lowered  himself  down  till  only  his  grinning  face 
appeared  above  the  top. 

We  crept  closer  and  watched  him  walk  along  the 
ledge  toward  the  cavern,  apparently  unaffected  by 
thoughts  of  the  death  which  a  slip  of  his  foot  would 
bring  upon  him.  Returning  to  the  spot  beneath  the 
polished  slipping-off  place  he  put  his  muscular  hands 
into  two  clefts  in  the  slab  above  and  drew  himself  up 
on  to  the  solid  earth. 

"No  danger,"  he  cried.     "All  boys  go  over  here 


102  THE  WHITE  WATERFALL 

before  they  could  call  themselves  men.  That  long, 
long  time  ago. " 

The  Professor  grabbed  his  notebook  as  he  heard 
the  explanation,  and  he  immediately  proceeded  to 
deluge  the  Kanaka  with  questions. 

"What  was  that?"  he  squeaked.  "You  say  all 
the  boys  had  to  climb  over  there?" 

"That's  so,"  grinned  Soma.  "This  place  make 'em 
test.  Young  boy  go  over  this  quick  he  make  plenty 
good  fighting  man.  Feller  go  over  slow  he  no  good. " 

The  Professor's  pencil  moved  quicker  than  the 
pen  of  a  court  stenographer.  The  Kanaka's  remark 
had  brought  him  much  copy,  and  the  dangers  of 
the  path  were  forgotten  as  he  jotted  down  the 
information. 

"And  they  went  over  here?"  he  cried,  his  eyes 
wide  open  as  he  gazed  at  the  edge  of  the  crater. 

"Right  over  here,"  grinned  Soma.  "See  rock 
mighty  slippery  here.  All  boys'  hands  and  feet  do 
that.  Polish  it  mighty  fine. " 

"'But  surely  this  test  is  not  carried  on  at  the 
present  time?"  cried  the  scientist.  "When  was  this 
wonderful  custom  in  force?" 

"About  the  time  that  Christopher  Columbus 
was  paddling  to  America,"  replied  Leith.  "There 
are  no  natives  on  the  Isle  of  Tears  now.  Soma  is 
speaking  of  a  time  when  these  islands  were  in 
habited." 


THE  LEDGE  OF  DEATH  103 

The  Professor  gurgled  like  a  drowning  mule. 
"This  is  a  most  interesting  morsel  of  information," 
he  murmured.  "Hand  me  my  camera,  Barbara; 
I  wish  to  take  a  snapshot  of  the  place." 

The  delay  irritated  Leith,  but  he  kept  his  temper 
in  check  while  the  Professor  fussed  and  focussed 
to  get  a  good  view  of  the  spot. 

"The  old  fool  should  be  in  a  padded  cell,"  growled 
Holman.  "He's  so  busy  digesting  that  tale  that 
he's  not  thinking  of  the  dangers  of  this  path.  I'm 
going  to  speak  to  him  aside." 

"I  hope  you  have  better  luck  than  I  had,"  I 
whispered.  "I  bullied  him  as  we  were  climbing  the 
slope,  and  I  believe  he  complained  of  me  to  Leith. 
He  sees  a  mental  picture  of  himself  with  bay  leaves 
on  his  brow,  and  he  wouldn't  consider  the  nerves 
of  twenty  daughters. " 

I  was  right  in  my  prophecy.  When  Holman  ap 
proached  the  old  maniac  he  ruffled  up  like  an  angry 
porcupine,  and  he  screeched  out  his  opinion  concern 
ing  people  who  would  not  mind  their  own  business. 

"You're  the  second  person  who  has  kindly  in 
formed  me  what  I  should  do,"  he  exclaimed.  "And 
who  are  you,  sir?  You  have  no  standing  with 
this  expedition!  This  is  a  scientific  exploration 
party,  but  it  seems  to  me  that  a  number  of  busy- 
bodies  have  pushed  their  way  into  it.  I  shall  ask 
Mr,  Leith  if  he  cannot  stop  this  interference!" 


io4  THE  WHITE  WATERFALL 

Leith  listened  till  the  Professor  had  finished 
speaking,  then  he  turned  savagely  upon  Holman. 
"I've  given  you  one  chance,"  he  roared,  "and  you 
don't  seem  to  profit  by  it.  Now  I'm  not  going 
to  speak  again!  If  I  have  to  tell  you  to  keep  your 
finger  out  of  this  pie  on  another  occasion,  you'll 
go  back  to  the  yacht,  and  you'll  go  back  without 
provisions,  do  you  understand?" 

The  youngster  was  not  lacking  in  courage,  and 
he  stood  up  boldly  as  the  bully  screamed  out  his 
threats. 

"I  won't  go  back,"  he  said  quietly.  "At  least 
I  won't  go  back  alone. " 

Leith's  big  fingers  crooked  ominously  as  he  glared 
at  Holman,  but  Edith  Herndon  prevented  the  con 
flict  that  was  imminent. 

"Mr.  Holman  is  only  concerned  about  our  safety," 
she  cried,  stepping  in  front  of  the  youngster.  "He 
thinks  that  the  path  is  dangerous  for  women,  and  it 
is  on  that  account  he  protests." 

Leith  recovered  his  temper  with  an  effort.  "It 
is  not  dangerous,"  he  drawled.  "We  will  put  a 
strong  rope  under  the  arms  of  each  so  that  it  will 
be  impossible  for  an  accident  to  happen.  Soma  will 
go  first  with  one  of  the  other  boys,  and  they  will 
guide  every  one  into  the  opening.  Once  through 
there  the  path  leads  into  a  valley  in  the  centre  of 
the  island,  and  the  road  is  perfectly  safe." 


THE  LEDGE  OF  DEATH  105 

Edith  Herndon  looked  at  her  sister  as  Soma  un 
wound  the  strong  manilla  rope  which  he  had  carried 
from  the  yacht,  and  they  exchanged  glances  that 
showed  clearly  the  terror  in  which  they  viewed  the 
journey  across  the  ledge. 

Leith  frowned  as  he  glanced  toward  the  pit. 
The  colours  were  fading  from  the  brilliant  sides  as 
the  sun  sank  lower,  and  the  inky  clouds  that  seemed 
to  heave  far  down  in  its  mysterious  depths  fought 
their  way  slowly  upward  as  the  invading  sunbeams 
were  driven  out.  It  became  more  terrifying  as 
each  moment  passed. 

Leith  seemed  to  recognize  this,  and  he  turned 
upon  the  Professor.  "If  we  don't  get  down  in  half 
an  hour  we  will  have  to  postpone  it  till  the  morning, " 
he  exclaimed.  "I  didn't  look  for  a  hitch  like  this. 
I  tell  you  that  there  is  not  the  slightest  danger,  and 
the  young  ladies  will  be  just  as  safe  upon  that  ledge 
as  they  are  up  here." 

The  Professor  turned  to  the  two  girls  as  he 
closed  his  camera.  The  mad  hunger  for  notoriety 
evidently  blinded  him  to  the  dangers  which  would 
have  been  perceptible  at  any  other  time,  and  Hoi- 
man's  remarks  had  not  improved  his  temper. 

"Come,  come,  Edith!"  he  entreated.  "We  must 
get  along.  You  hear  what  Mr.  Leith  says?  There 
is  no  danger.  A  rope  will  be  put  around  your  waist, 
and  an  accident  will  be  impossible." 


106  THE  WHITE  WATERFALL 

The  younger  girl  took  a  glance  at  the  terrifying 
abyss  and  shrank  back  to  Edith's  side. 

"Wait  till  the  morning,"  she  whispered. 

"What  is  that?"  asked  the  Professor. 

"Barbara  wants  you  to  wait  till  the  morning," 
replied  Edith.  "I  think  it  will  be  better.  This  light 
doesn't  make  the  place  look  attractive." 

Leith  moved  his  big  hands  in  a  manner  that 
showed  he  was  willing  to  wait  till  the  following  day, 
and  Barbara  Herndon  gave  a  little  gasp  of  relief. 
Soma  coiled  the  rope  that  he  had  laid  out  in  ex 
pectation  of  an  immediate  descent,  and  the  whole 
party  moved  back  about  thirty  yards  from  the 
obstacle  in  our  path.  As  I  analyzed  my  own  feelings, 
on  turning  my  back  upon  the  spot,  I  felt  that  Bar 
bara  Herndon  was  not  alone  in  desiring  to  make 
the  trip  when  the  wholesome  sunbeams  were  pour 
ing  into  the  shadowy  cauldron. 


CHAPTER  IX 

INTO   THE    VALLEY    OF    ECHOES 

HOLMAN  and  I  had  sat  up  late  discussing  the 
vermilion-lined    crater    on    the    night   we 
halted  upon  its  brink,  and  it  was  Leith's 
voice  that  roused  us  in  the  morning.     He  showed  no 
signs  of  resentment  over  the  difference  with  Holman 
on  the  preceding  afternoon,  and  he  attempted  to  joke 
with  Barbara  Herndon  as  we  made  a  hasty  breakfast. 
"I  hope  you  slept  well?"  he  grinned. 
"I  didn't,"  she  replied.     "I  had  dreams  of  that 
place,  and  they  were  perfectly  horrid  dreams." 

"Well,  dreams  don't  amount  to  much,"  he  re 
plied,  "and  this  sunshine  will  soon  make  you  forget 
them." 

The  sunshine,  or  probably  the  night's  rest,  had 
a  wonderful  effect  upon  the  nerves  of  the  younger 
girl,  and  she  viewed  the  crater  with  much  more 

107 


io8  THE  WHITE  WATERFALL 

composure  than  on  the  previous  afternoon.  Soma 
had  the  rope  in  readiness  when  we  approached  the 
edge,  and  together  with  another  carrier  he  slipped 
down  upon  the  slippery  pathway,  and,  with  head 
above  the  rim,  grinned  an  invitation  to  the  party 
to  follow  his  example. 

"Now  who  goes  first?"  asked  Leith. 

I  had  settled  that  matter  with  Holman  as  we 
sat  smoking  the  night  before,  and  I  stepped  forward 
while  the  youngster  gripped  the  rope  with  Kaipi 
and  the  other  four  carriers.  We  had  decided  that  I 
should  go  down  to  the  ledge  to  assist  the  two  girls 
to  the  cavern,  while  he  should  stay  above  ground 
to  make  certain  that  no  hitch  would  occur  while 
they  were  being  lowered. 

That  place  wasn't  so  bad  when  you  turned  your 
back  upon  it.  After  the  rope  had  been  adjusted 
I  crawled  back  carefully  till  my  toes  hung  over  the 
edge,  then  thrusting  my  hands  into  the  two  small 
crevices  in  the  rock  I  slipped  over,  feeling  at  the 
same  time  that  peculiar  sensation  in  the  pit  of  the 
stomach  that  one  gets  when  an  elevator  drops  about 
six  floors  at  a  fast  gait.  I  was  perfectly  satisfied 
that  a  critical  examiner,  reasoning  on  Soma's  theory 
of  courage,  would  not  have  marked  me  down  as  a 
great  fighter  by  witnessing  the  careful  manner  in 
which  I  made  the  descent. 

I  didn't  attempt  to  look  at  the  gulf  beneath  me 


INTO  THE  VALLEY  OF  ECHOES  109 

either.  Not  that  one  could  be  ignorant  of  its 
existence.  Every  inch  of  skin  seemed  to  be  yelling 
out  the  information  to  my  brain,  but  I  kept  my  chin 
up,  and  tried  to  ignore  the  black  depths  which 
chilled  me  whenever  I  allowed  the  mental  photo 
graphs  of  the  place  to  rise  up  before  my  vision. 

The  Professor  followed  me  over  the  edge,  and  was 
guided  by  Soma  to  the  opening  in  the  cavern. 
Leith  came  next,  and  when  he  landed  upon  the 
smooth  path  he  stood  directly  underneath  the  slip 
ping  off  spot  with  the  evident  intention  of  remaining 
there  to  assist  the  two  girls  when  they  were  lowered 
down.  The  post  was  one  that  Holman  had  as 
signed  to  me  as  we  talked  the  matter  over  on  the 
previous  evening,  and  the  moment  Leith  showed  no 
inclination  to  leave  the  spot,  I  started  toward  him 
from  the  mouth  of  the  cavern,  where  I  had  stepped 
to  allow  the  Professor  to  pass  me  by. 

The  big  bully  immediately  noticed  my  movement, 
and  he  waved  his  hand  as  a  signal  for  me  to  go  back. 

"But  I'm  coming,"  I  snapped. 

"What  for?" 

"For  the  fun  of  the  thing,"  I  shouted,  and  at 
that  moment  I  forgot  the  pit  in  my  anxiety  to  reach 
the  spot  before  Edith  Herndon  was  lowered  over. 

"Go  back  at  once!"  roared  Leith.  "I  will  see  to 
the  safety  of  the  ladies." 

I  was  close  to  him  at  that  moment,  and  I  returned 


no  THE  WHITE  WATERFALL 

his  angry  glare.  "I'm  going  to  do  that,"  I  cried, 
"if  the  devil  himself  ordered  me  out  of  the  way." 

Leith  looked  like  the  devil  at  that  moment.  His 
sallow  face  seemed  to  heave  as  if  a  disturbed  emo 
tional  centre  was  immediately  beneath  the  flabby 
cheeks,  and  he  cursed  in  an  undertone  as  Edith 
Herndon  slipped  from  the  edge  and  swung  for  a 
moment  above  the  ledge  before  she  managed  to  get 
her  footing. 

Leith  attempted  to  take  her  arm  as  her  feet 
touched  the  unprotected  path,  but  the  girl,  though 
unnerved  by  the  ordeal,  shook  off  his  big  claw, 
and  with  her  hands  clasping  mine  I  led  her  across 
the  short  but  dangerous  ledge  of  rock  that  led  to 
the  opening  in  the  wall.  I  felt  strong  enough  to 
fight  a  dozen  devils  like  Leith  at  that  moment. 
The  trusting  manner  in  which  the  dear  girl  had 
given  her  hands  into  mine  conferred  upon  me  a 
strength  which  the  crusader  of  old  felt  surging 
through  his  body  when  his  consecrated  sword  blade 
was  delivered  into  his  hands. 

I  returned  in  time  to  render  the  same  help  to 
Miss  Barbara  Herndon,  while  Leith  still  remained 
upon  the  path,  his  manner  suggesting  that  he  had 
discovered  something  humorous  in  the  situation. 
Holman  followed  Miss  Barbara,  and  then  came 
the  islanders,  who  scrambled  over  the  ledge  with 
that  utter  disregard  for  safety  noticeable  in  the 


INTO  THE  VALLEY  OF  ECHOES  in 

actions  of  the  unimaginative  savage.  Holman's 
face  seemed  to  have  altered  during  the  preceding 
thirty  minutes.  The  ready  smile,  which  I  had  first 
noticed  when  he  awakened  me  on  the  wharf  at 
Levuka,  was  gone,  and  a  set,  defiant  look  had  taken 
its  place.  The  happenings  of  the  day  before,  or 
the  possible  forebodings  concerning  the  immediate 
future,  had  changed  him  from  a  boy  to  a  man. 

Soma  stood  at  the  mouth  of  the  cavern  as  we 
passed  through,  and  he  grinned  at  the  Professor. 
The  Kanaka  had  discovered  that  the  Professor 
placed  a  monetary  value  upon  his  information  re 
garding  the  long-dead  past,  and  he  wras  ready  to 
contribute  to  the  contents  of  the  fat  notebook 
whenever  the  opportunity  occurred. 

"  All  good  people  in  this  party, "  he  cried.  "That's 
mighty  plain." 

The  Professor  dived  for  his  lead  pencil.  He  had 
a  scent  for  copy  that  a  New  York  reporter  would 
have  envied. 

"How  is  that,  Soma?"  he  spluttered. 

"Wizard  men  say  so,"  grinned  the  Kanaka. 
"Wizard  men  tell  much  truth." 

"But  what  did  the  wizard  men  say?" 

"They  say  that  only  the  bad  boys  can  slip," 
answered  Soma.  "No  good  men  either.  Big  hole 
just  for  bad  people.  That  what  witch  doctors  say 
long,  long  time  ago.  They  call  it  Ledge  of  Death." 


ii2  THE  WHITE  WATERFALL 

The  Professor's  pencil  raced  madly  across  the 
paper,  and  Holman  looked  back  at  the  black  depths 
with  a  grim  smile  upon  his  clean-cut  features. 

"I  suppose  there  have  been  exceptions,"  he 
remarked  quietly.  "There  are  exceptions  to  every 
rule,  and  I  suppose  an  occasional  bad  egg  escaped 
a  fall  into  this  abyss  in  spite  of  the  wizard  men's 
prophecy. " 

Leith  looked  up  quickly,  and  he  flushed  angrily 
when  he  found  that  the  young  fellow's  eyes  were 
upon  him.  Barbara  Herndon  gave  a  little  hysterical 
laugh,  and  the  Professor  stopped  writing  and  looked 
around  inquiringly  as  if  he  was  in  doubt  whether 
he  had  missed  something  of  importance. 

"What  is  it?"  he  inquired.     "I  didn't  hear." 

"It  was  nothing,"  replied  Leith,  in  his  slow,  drawl 
ing  voice.  "Holman  suggested  that  the  word  of  the 
wizard  men  might  not  be  infallible,  and  lest  we  have 
some  one  who  ran  the  gauntlet  under  false  colours 
we  had  better  move  on  so  as  to  keep  the  exception 
out  of  danger." 

The  cavern,  into  which  we  passed  from  the  slip 
pery  ledge,  did  not  lead  into  the  interior  of  the 
mountain  as  one  would  be  inclined  to  think  after 
viewing  it  from  the  top  of  the  crater.  We  had 
hardly  traversed  it  for  more  than  sixty  yards  when 
we  were  once  again  in  the  bright  sunlight,  in  what 
appeared  to  be  a  deep,  wide  valley  in  the  centre  of 


INTO  THE  VALLEY  OF  ECHOES  113 

the  island.  The  basalt  cliffs  surrounded  the  place 
on  every  side,  and  although  we  had  great  doubts 
regarding  Leith's  veracity,  we  felt  inclined  to  accept 
his  word  that  the  path  by  which  we  had  come  was 
the  only  one  by  which  we  could  reach  the  spot  where 
we  stood.  The  circles  of  black  rocks  above  the  tops 
of  the  highest  trees,  though  indescribably  beautiful, 
were  strangely  repellent  in  their  weird  conformation. 
They  struck  us  as  the  walls  of  a  prison  from  which 
the  only  way  to  liberty  lay  across  the  path  in  the 
crater. 

The  trees  —  ebony,  chatak,  dakua,  and  sandal- 
wood  —  grew  here  in  greater  numbers  than  we  had 
met  them  on  the  first  day,  while  the  lawyer-vines 
and  thorny  creepers  rivalled  the  devilish  meshes 
that  had  held  us  back  as  we  climbed  the  slope  to 
the  Vermilion  Pit.  Like  green  serpents  they  covered 
the  treetops,  and  as  we  struck  forward  in  the  same 
order  as  we  had  marched  on  the  first  day  the 
solemnity  of  the  place  was  more  apparent  than 
ever.  It  appeared  that  Nature,  for  some  reason  of 
her  own,  had  made  the  place  difficult  of  access, 
and  that  our  invasion  was  something  that  the  trees 
and  vines  protested  against. 

But  in  spite  of  the  strange  melancholy  of  the 
place,  the  two  girls  were  in  much  better  spirits 
than  they  had  been  on  the  previous  day.  The 
successful  passage  over  the  ledge  had  brought  about 


ii4  '  THE  WHITE  WATERFALL 

a  reaction,  and  a  remark  of  Holman's  caused 
Barbara  Herndon  to  laugh  with  all  the  spontaneity 
that  was  noticeable  upon  The  Waif.  The  effect 
of  that  ripple  of  laughter  was  startling.  The 
sound  rebounded  from  the  rocky  cliffs,  cannoned 
against  the  barriers  opposite,  and  then  bounced 
backward  and  forward  till  the  whole  atmosphere 
of  the  valley  seemed  alive  with  the  laughter  of 
sprites.  For  quite  five  minutes  we  stood  listening, 
then  the  silence  chased  the  last  faint  echoes  out 
across  the  cliffs,  and  we  breathed  again. 

"It  is  the  Valley  of  Echoes,"  said  Leith.  "The 
cliffs  throw  back  the  sound  in  a  marvellous  manner." 

"I'll  not  laugh  again,  not  in  this  spot,"  murmured 
Barbara  Herndon.  "Those  noises  chilled  my  blood. " 

In  spite  of  a  blazing  sun  we  found  the  air  un 
pleasantly  cool  in  the  shaded  spots  as  we  struggled 
slowly  through  the  undergrowth.  The  moist  flab- 
biness  of  uncommon  tropical  plants  startled  us 
whenever  the  leaves  brushed  against  our  faces  and 
hands,  while  the  constant  popping  of  the  green  pods 
of  the  nupu,  the  sounds  resembling  nothing  so  much 
as  the  groans  of  a  person  in  extreme  pain,  did  not 
have  a  cheering  effect  upon  the  party.  The  Pro 
fessor  was  the  only  one  who  seemed  to  be  actually 
enjoying  himself,  and  even  his  joy  was  tempered 
by  &  malignant  Fate.  While  endeavouring  to  dot 
clown  some  information  tendered  him  by  Soma,  he 


INTO  THE  VALLEY  OF  ECHOES  115 

had  tripped  upon  a  vine  that  was  in  wait  for  auch 
an  opportunity,  and  he  skinned  his  nose  badly  upon 
a  projecting  rock. 

But  rocks  or  vines  would  not  dampen  the  Pro 
fessor's  ardour.  He  saw  himself  upon  a  pedestal 
that  he  would  build  out  of  the  Polynesian  lore  and 
the  relics  which  he  would  collect.  With  Spartan 
fortitude  he  would  not  allow  the  expedition  to  halt 
for  one  moment  while  the  injured  nose  was  being 
attended  to,  and  he  took  up  the  interrupted  matter 
with  Soma  before  the  blood  had  been  staunched. 

Kaipi  worked  himself  close  to  me  just  before 
midday,  and,  with  one  eye  upon  Soma  and  the  other 
five  carriers,  whispered  a  message. 

"Soma  much  friend  of  big  man." 

"How  do  you  know?"  I  questioned. 

"Talk  to  him  out  back  of  camp  last  night," 
he  murmured.  "Me  make  believe  sleep,  me  watch. 
I  think  I  kill  him  to-day." 

"Kaipi,"  I  whispered,  "if  you  wait  a  little  while 
I  promise  you  that  you'll  have  your  revenge  for 
Toni's  death.  You  watch  Soma  and  the  others, 
and  when  the  time  comes  you  can  give  him  all  he 
deserves.  If  you  stuck  a  knife  into  him  here 
Leith  would  shoot  you." 

Kaipi  nodded  his  head  and  trudged  forward  as 
Soma  came  sidling  toward  us.  The  Fijian's  desire 
to  get  revenge  for  his  "all  same  brother's  death" 


n6  THE  WHITE  WATERFALL 

was  something  that  might  be  to  our  advantage 
later  on,  and  I  looked  upon  Kaipi  as  a  staunch  ally 
in  the  event  of  trouble. 

We  ate  our  midday  meal  in  the  sombre  silence 
and  again  plunged  forward.  The  appearance  of 
gayety  which  Barbara  Herndon  had  tried  to  assume 
after  we  had  left  the  Vermilion  Pit  had  passed  away, 
and  once  again  there  was  the  look  of  pathetic  help 
lessness  upon  the  faces  of  the  two  girls.  During 
the  luncheon  Holman  and  I  endeavoured  to  make 
conversation,  but  the  thoughts  of  both  were  upon 
their  surroundings,  and  they  answered  questions 
with  an  effort.  The  prison-like  appearance  of  the 
valley,  and  the  utter  absence  of  sound,  both  of  bird 
and  insect  life,  had  a  depressing  effect  upon  their 
nerves. 

Holman's  face  showed  that  the  mental  sufferings 
of  the  two  sisters  had  worked  him  into  a  decidedly 
unfriendly  state  of  mind  toward  the  Professor  and 
the  big  brute  who  was  leading  the  old  scientist 
on  the  mad  hunt,  and  another  quarrel  was  barely 
averted  during  the  early  afternoon.  Leith  sug 
gested  that  Edith  Herndon  should  walk  beside 
him  so  that  he  might  assist  her  over  the  rough 
parts  of  the  way,  and  in  the  conversation  that  ensued 
the  youngster  asserted  that  the  girl  was  in  better 
company  when  she  was  walking  with  her  sister  and 
himself.  Leith's  voice  rose  to  a  roar  as  he  made 


INTO  THE  VALLEY  OF  ECHOES  117 

another  threat  regarding  what  he  would  do  if  the 
youngster  did  not  hold  his  tongue,  but  Holman  was 
defiant,  and  an  immediate  conflict  was  only  averted 
by  the  tact  of  Edith  Herndon. 

The  afternoon  closed  in  with  us  still  tramping  on. 
The  blood-red  sun  slipped  hurriedly  toward  the 
basalt  barriers  that  encircled  the  valley,  and  as  I 
glanced  at  the  cliffs  the  picture  of  the  creepy  ledge, 
that  was  our  only  way  back  to  the  outer  world, 
was  continually  in  my  mind.  The  knowledge  that 
the  velvety  polish  upon  the  block  of  porphyry  was 
brought  there  by  the  hands  of  thousands  who 
had  once  peopled  the  island  or  visited  it  from  the 
adjacent  groups  was  not  provocative  of  mirth, 
and  I  knew  that  the  feeling  that  they  were  journey 
ing  in  a  place  that  had  been  of  special  veneration 
in  long  past  centuries  was  producing  a  depressing 
effect  upon  the  two  girls. 

As  the  tropical  twilight  fell  upon  the  valley  we 
came  to  one  of  the  strange  stone  structures  that 
are  to  be  found  in  the  Tongan  and  Cook  groups,  arid 
which  have  puzzled  explorers  who  have  sought  in 
vain  to  find  a  reason  for  their  construction  or  an 
explanation  of  the  methods  by  which  a  savage 
people  lifted  the  huge  blocks  of  rock  into  position. 

The  one  that  suddenly  appeared  before  us  was 
situated  on  a  small  slope  that  was  free  from  trees 
and  creepers,  and  as  it  stood  there,  black  and  mas- 


nS  THE  WHITE  WATERFALL 

sive,  one  could  fancy  it  part  of  the  ruins  of  Karnak 
instead  of  a  relic  left  by  a  people  that  were  much 
below  the  intelligence  of  those  who  raised  the  won 
ders  in  the  land  of  the  Nile.  The  four  supporting 
piers  of  stone  were  about  four  feet  square  and  fully 
fifteen  feet  in  height,  while  the  immense  flat  rock 
that  was  laid  upon  them  was  more  than  twelve  feet 
in  length  and  breadth,  with  a  six-foot  thickness. 
It  was  moss-grown  and  gray,  but  the  supporting 
pillars  had  not  deviated  one  inch  from  the  perpen 
dicular,  although  the  weight  upon  them  was  tre 
mendous.  The  bed  of  coral  rock  on  which  they 
rested  had  proved  a  reliable  foundation,  and  the 
singular  structure  had  scoffed  at  time. 

The  Professor  started  a  lengthy  discourse  on  sac 
rificial  altars  the  moment  we  halted,  ranging  from 
Stonehenge  to  Toluca  in  search  of  comparisons, 
but  we  were  too  tired  to  give  it  much  attention. 
Holman  remarked  in  a  whisper  that  Soma  could 
probably  outpoint  the  Professor  if  it  came  to  an 
array  of  facts  concerning  the  probable  uses  of  the 
gigantic  table,  and  when  I  glanced  at  the  Kanaka, 
as  he  stopped  to  listen  to  the  scientist's  discourse, 
I  felt  inclined  to  agree  with  the  scoffer.  Soma  had 
an  intelligence  that  lifted  him  above  his  class,  and 
I  was  convinced  that  many  of  the  Professor's  sur 
mises  caused  him  secret  merriment. 


CHAPTER  X 

A    MIDNIGHT    ALARM 

I  THINK  that  Professor  Herndon  was  the  only 
person  in  the  company  who  was  quite  con 
tented  with  the  day's  doings  on  that  evening 
when  we  camped  near  the  table  of  stone.  The 
polished  slide  and  the  ledge  along  which  we  had 
passed  to  the  cavern  stirred  his  imagination  con 
cerning  the  wonders  that  were  before  him,  and  he 
convinced  himself  that  he  had  the  god  of  his  am 
bition  by  the  heel.  The  fat  notebook  was  made 
the  repository  of  countless  surmises  regarding  the 
period  at  which  the  ledge  was  in  active  use  as 
a  test  for  courage,  and  the  stone  structure  that 
loomed  up  immediately  beside  the  camp  was  tagged 

119 


izo  THE  WHITE  WATERFALL 

with  countless  suppositions  regarding  its  uses  and 
its  probable  date  of  construction.  Soma  gathered 
in  some  easily  earned  shillings  by  raking  his  mind 
in  search  of  traditions  and  retailing  them  to  the 
scientist  by  the  light  of  the  fire.  He  made  magazine 
prices  for  tales  that  he  spun  from  his  fertile  brain, 
and  the  Professor  could  hardly  write  fast  enough 
in  the  excitement  brought  about  by  the  discovery  of 
so  much  historical  knowledge. 

"It  is  wonderful!"  he  cried,  pausing  for  a  moment 
to  polish  the  thick  lenses  of  his  glasses  upon  the  end 
of  his  silk  coat.  "The  chance  of  enlightening  the 
world  upon  this  subject  is  one  that  I  would  not 
have  missed  for  a  million  dollars." 

"The  dollars  for  me,"  murmured  Holman.  "I 
don't  think  the  old  world  cares  three  cents  about 
anything  that  happened  a  thousand  years  ago  in 
this  patch." 

The  Professor  adjusted  his  glasses  and  turned 
them  upon  the  doubter  for  the  space  of  three  min 
utes,  but  Holman  was  blissfully  ignorant  of  the  look 
which  the  angry  archaeologist  favoured  him  with. 
The  youngster  was  watching  the  firelight  upon  the 
face  of  Miss  Barbara  Herndon,  and  his  thoughts 
were  probably  in  a  dream-fed  future  instead  of  a 
dismal  past. 

Leith  sat  silent  and  gloomy,  his  head  pillowed 
against  the  trunk  of  a  maupei  tree,  his  face  in  the 


A  MIDNIGHT  ALARM  121 

shadow  of  his  hat,  which  he  had  pulled  down  over 
his  forehead.  The  supper  had  been  eaten  with 
little  conversation,  the  Professor  being  the  only 
one  who  showed  conversational  powers  of  any  note. 
With  the  notebook  already  partly  filled  he  felt 
certain  of  a  niche  in  the  Pantheon  of  Fame,  and  he 
could  not  resist  a  desire  to  prattle  childishly  about 
the  sensation  which  his  discoveries  would  cause. 
It's  a  terrible  thing  for  a  man  to  get  the  applause 
craving  in  its  worst  form.  It  is  liable  to  make  him 
do  things  which  no  craving  for  treasure  would  allow 
him  to  do,  no  matter  how  badly  he  desired  the  tempt 
ing  gold. 

The  girls  retired  early,  and  soon  afterward  Leith 
wrapped  himself  up  in  a  blanket  and  lay  down  at 
the  foot  of  the  tree.  The  Professor  at  last  became 
tired  of  firing  questions  at  the  wonderfully  well- 
informed  Soma,  and  the  Kanaka,  finding  that  the 
market  for  legends  was  not  as  good  as  it  was  in  the 
early  part  of  the  night,  retreated  to  the  other  fire, 
where  Kaipi  and  the  fire  carriers  were  slumbering. 

The  heavy  silence  that  comes  in  the  night  to  the 
outposts  of  the  world  fell  upon  the  place  like  a  cold 
hand  at  that  moment.  A  moon  that  appeared  to 
have  a  pellicle  across  it,  like  the  film  upon  a  dead 
man's  eye,  peeped  over  the  barrier  of  black  rocks  - 
peeped  over  as  if  it  wondered  what  we  were  doing 
in  that  God-forgotten  quarter.  Sudden  puffs  of 


122  THE  WHITE  WATERFALL 

wind  rustled  the  leaves  of  the  maupei  and  fled 
hurriedly,  and  from  somewhere  in  the  coral  rocks 
one  of  those  red-striped  lizards  that  are  sometimes 
found  in  the  rocky  parts  of  the  Carolines  sent  his 
unearthly  shik-shuck  into  the  stillness,  where  one 
fancied  it  a  little  projectile  of  sound  crushed  in  its 
efforts  to  pierce  the  tremendous  silence  of  the  night. 
One's  imagination  pictured  the  places  where  there 
were  lights  and  music,  the  tinkle  of  glasses,  and  the 
laughter  of  men  and  women,  and  the  wilderness  suf 
fered  in  the  comparison.  Coral  atolls  with  waving 
palm  trees  are  delightful  spots  when  one  reads  of 
them  when  seated  in  a  comfortable  armchair  in  a 
snug  library,  but  the  real  island  comes  down  heavily 
upon  the  nerve-centres  when  night  falls  upon  the 
spot.  Then  the  fringe  dweller  feels  that  he  is  an 
outcast  from  the  warm  places  of  the  world  where 
men  and  women  meet  in  social  intercourse. 

Holman,  who  had  been  staring  in  silence  at  the 
fire  for  some  twenty  minutes,  turned  toward  me  after 
the  Professor  had  retired. 

"Sleepy?"  asked  the  youngster. 

"Worse  than  that,"  I  muttered. 

"Let's  turn  in." 

The  "turning  in"  was  an  easy  performance.  We 
lay  down  on  the  pile  of  leaves  which  the  carriers  had 
scraped  together,  pulled  a  rug  over  us,  and  in  spite 
of  the  surroundings  I  was  soon  fast  asleep. 


A  MIDNIGHT  ALARM  123 

It  was  Holman's  fist  that  disturbed  my  slumber. 
It  came  with  some  force  against  my  short  rib,  and 
I  sat  upright.  The  moonlight  made  it  possible  to 
see  across  the  valley,  while  every  object  around  the 
camp  was  clearly  outlined. 

Holman  was  sitting  up  on  his  leafy  bed,  and  I 
put  a  question  breathlessly  as  I  jerked  myself  upright. 

"What's  up?" 

"Didn't  he  say  that  this  place  was  uninhabited?" 
asked  the  youngster. 

"Yes,"  I  answered.     "Why?" 

"Well,  some  one  has  just  pushed  his  head  and 
shoulders  up  above  that  stone  table,"  whispered 
Holman.  "He  put  his  head  up,  looked  across  at  us 
for  about  five  minutes,  then  dodged  quickly  back." 

"You  weren't  dreaming?" 

"Dreaming?  Rot!  I  haven't  closed  my  eyes  since 
we  retired!" 

I  threw  off  the  rug  and  looked  around.  Leith 
lay  under  the  maupei  tree  in  the  same  position  as 
we  had  seen  him  in  at  the  moment  I  lay  down.  Near 
him  the  Professor  snored  dismally,  probably  dream 
ing  dreams  of  the  greatness  that  would  be  thrust 
upon  him  in  the  near  future.  No  sounds  came  from 
the  tent  that  sheltered  the  two  girls,  but  a  com 
bination  of  curious  nasal  sounds  rose  from  the 
spot  where  the  natives  were  sleeping  around  their 
fire. 


124  THE  WHITE  WATERFALL 

"It  might  be  one  of  the  niggers,"  whispered  Hoi- 
man.  "Let  us  see." 

We  stole  silently  across  the  intervening  space, 
and,  crouching  in  the  shadows,  counted  the  sleepers. 
There  were  seven.  The  prowler  that  Holman  had 
seen  upon  the  top  of  the  stone  structure  was  evi 
dently  an  outsider,  and  the  knowledge  brought  no 
pleasant  feelings.  Leith  had  assured  the  Profes 
sor  on  several  occasions  that  the  island  was  unin 
habited,  yet  it  was  quite  possible  that  natives  from 
the  adjoining  groups  had  visited  it  during  the  period 
that  elapsed  since  his  last  visit.  Yet  we  felt  that 
it  was  no  stray  visitor  from  another  island  that  had 
peeped  over  the  top  of  the  massive  table,  and  it  was 
with  a  suspicious  eye  upon  the  sleeping  Leith  that 
we  crept  quietly  over  the  coral  rocks  toward  the 
tremendous  stone  piers  of  the  structure  that  rose 
like  a  monster  gateway  against  the  gray  sky.  The 
atmosphere  of  that  place  was  indescribable.  We 
seemed  to  be  in  the  midst  of  relics  that  were  older 
than  the  pyramids.  The  temple  of  Luxor  may  seem 
impressive  by  moonlight,  but  the  knowledge  we 
possess  of  Thebes  in  its  glory  somewhat  modifies 
the  awe  which  we  would  feel  if  we  knew  nothing  of 
the  people  who  had  raised  the  great  monuments  in 
the  city  of  Amen-Ra.  And  Holman  and  I  knew 
nothing  of  the  dead  race  that  erected  the  mighty 
stone  table  on  the  cleared  slope,  which  by  its  con- 


A  MIDNIGHT  ALARM  125 

struction  gave  evidence  of  a  knowledge  of  mechan 
ics  of  which  the  present-day  Polynesian  is  entirely 
ignorant.  I  recalled  the  Nan-Tauch  ruins  and  the 
tombs  of  the  mysterious  Chan-te-leur  kings  Ola- 
Sipa  and  Ola-Sopa  in  the  Carolines,  the  tolmas  and 
the  langis  of  the  Marshall  and  Gilbert  groups,  and 
I  wished  the  Professor  anything  but  pleasant  dreams. 
The  place  seemed  waiting  for  the  return  of  its  dead. 
The  scenery  possessed  that  singular  expectancy  that 
compels  one  to  turn  around  every  few  moments  to 
convince  one's  self  that  an  unfriendly  watcher  is  not 
immediately  in  the  rear. 

Still  keeping  in  the  shadows,  we  circled  the  camp 
till  we  were  in  front  of  the  stone  table,  but  just 
when  I  took  a  step  into  the  moonlight  space  before 
it,  Holman  grasped  my  arm  and  drew  me  back. 

"Look!"  he  gurgled.     "Look!  there  he  is  again!" 

All  doubts  concerning  the  youngster's  previous 
observations  were  swept  away  at  that  moment.  A 
head  and  shoulders  rose  suddenly  above  the  black 
line  of  the  immense  flat  stone,  remained  there  for 
the  space  of  three  minutes,  then  dropped  back  so 
that  we  could  not  see  it  from  the  position  in  which 
we  stood. 

"Take  the  two  front  pillars!"  whispered  Holman. 
"I'll  watch  the  two  back  ones.  Come  on!" 

We  dashed  across  the  open  space,  the  youngster 
rushing  to  the  rear,  while  I  ran  to  the  front  columns. 


126  THE  WHITE  WATERFALL 

It  was  impossible  for  any  one  to  descend  unless 
we  saw  him,  and  with  nerves  on  a  tension  we  walked 
around  the  huge  supports  and  watched  anxiously 
for  the  midnight  watcher  to  descend. 

We  must  have  remained  on  guard  for  twenty 
minutes  or  more,  but  there  was  no  sign  of  the  spy. 
Around  us  the  massive  structure  cast  a  patch  of  vel 
vety  shadow,  but  not  the  slightest  sound  came  from 
above. 

Holman  tired  of  the  inactivity,  and  stepped  across 
to  where  I  was  standing.  "I'm  going  to  climb  that 
chestnut  tree  and  see  if  the  beggar  is  still  there," 
he  murmured.  "You  stop  here  till  I  take  an  ob 
servation." 

He  darted  across  to  the  big  Pacific  chestnut  and 
climbed  hurriedly,  while  I  walked  round  and  round 
the  square  pillars  and  strained  my  ears  for  the 
slightest  sound  that  would  give  a  hint  that  the 
person  on  the  roof  of  the  mysterious  table  was  pre 
paring  to  descend. 

A  low  whistle  from  Holman  pierced  the  silence, 
and  I  answered. 

"Come  up  here,"  he  cried  softly.  "He's  given 
us  the  slip." 

I  climbed  the  tree  to  the  branch  where  the  young 
fellow  sat  awaiting  me.  From  his  position  he 
had  a  clear  view  of  the  top  of  the  big  table, 
and  as  I  reached  him  I  looked  through  an  open- 


A  MIDNIGHT  ALARM  127 

ing  in  the  thick  leaves.  The  top  of  the  stone  was 
empty! 

"Do  you  think  he  slipped  down  while  I  was  climb 
ing  the  tree?"  asked  Holman. 

"I'm  certain  he  didn't,"  I  answered.  "It  would 
have  been  impossible." 

We  stared  at  the  stone  in  silence.  The  top  was 
covered  with  short  moss  that  had  gathered  there 
through  the  centuries,  and  instead  of  being  flat  as 
we  had  surmised  there  was  a  noticeable  slope,  so 
that  the  part  that  was  directly  behind  the  camp 
was  fully  two  feet  higher  than  the  rear.  This  was 
the  only  peculiarity  in  its  construction,  and  al 
though  we  sat  in  silence,  staring  at  its  moss-covered 
surface,  we  were  utterly  unable  to  put  forward  the 
slightest  supposition  that  would  account  for  the 
disappearance  of  the  watcher.  The  incident  was 
an  extraordinary  one.  The  man  could  not  have 
dropped  from  the  table  before  we  reached  the 
supporting  piers,  and  we  were  equally  certain  that 
he  had  not  slipped  down  the  pillars  while  we  stood 
guard  beneath. 

"I'm  going  up  there,"  muttered  Holman.  "We 
can  get  the  rope  from  the  camp.  Come  along!  I'd 
like  a  look  at  that  place  at  closer  quarters." 

We  climbed  hastily  down  the  tree,  crept  cautiously 
back  to  the  camp  and  took  the  stout  rope  which 
we  had  used  in  reaching  the  Ledge  of  Death.  The 


128  THE  WHITE  WATERFALL 

camp  was  quiet.  The  curious  nasal  sounds  pro 
duced  by  the  natives,  together  with  the  rather  high- 
toned  snore  of  Professor  Herndon,  were  the  only 
sounds  that  came  through  the  still  night. 

Holman  flung  one  end  of  the  rope  over  a  pro 
jecting  corner  of  the  flat  slab,  twisted  one  half  of 
it  round  and  round  the  pillar  to  make  occasional 
grips  which  we  could  use  in  the  ascent,  then  clutch 
ing  the  hanging  end  he  worked  himself  slowly  up. 
I  followed  him,  only  to  find  the  upper  surface  of 
the  table  as  bare  of  any  signs  of  life  as  we  had  pre 
viously  noted  from  our  perch  in  the  chestnut  tree. 
The  tough  moss  upon  the  stone  was  fully  four  inches 
long,  and  covered  the  slab  completely.  In  vain  we 
stamped  around  looking  for  a  possible  hiding  place. 
The  massive  block  didn't  offer  a  cranny  that  a  lizard 
could  hide  in,  and  with  an  unsolved  mystery  upon 
our  hands  we  descended  to  the  ground. 

"What  do  you  make  of  it?"  asked  Holman. 

I  shook  my  head.  The  enigma  baffled  me.  Our 
suspicions  regarding  the  honesty  of  Leith  made 
the  strange  appearance  of  the  figure  on  the  table 
of  stone  more  perplexing  than  it  would  have  been 
under  ordinary  circumstances.  Leith  had  asserted 
that  the  island  was  uninhabited,  yet  we  were  not 
inclined  to  rush  to  him  with  the  news  of  the  dis 
covery.  We  felt  that  it  was  another  of  the  small 
discoveries  that  made  us  pile  up  suspicions  against 


A  MIDNIGHT  ALARM  129 

the  big  bully  at  the  head  of  the  party.  We  had  no 
proof  of  the  midnight  visitor,  and  the  story  of  his 
sudden  disappearance  while  we  watched  below  would 
only  provoke  an  unbelieving  grin  from  Leith,  and 
an  idiotic  laugh  from  the  foolish  old  Professor. 

"Better  keep  it  to  ourselves,"  growled  Holman. 

"For  the  present  at  any  rate,"  I  remarked.  "If 
Leith  knows  that  there  are  others  upon  the  island, 
and  if  those  others  are  friendly  to  him,  it  will  only 
make  him  more  careful  of  his  actions  if  we  tell  what 
we  have  seen  to-night." 

Arriving  at  this  decision  we  came  back  to  the 
camp  and  crawled  quietly  under  the  rug,  where  we 
watched  the  mystical  monument  till  the  flaming 
tropical  dawn  lit  up  the  valley. 


CHAPTER  XI 


THE  Professor  used  a  roll  of  films  in  snap 
shotting  the  stone  table  while  we  were 
breaking  camp.  Pie  photographed  it  from 
every  point  of  the  compass,  and  made  a  magnifi 
cent  effort  to  dislocate  his  collarbone  by  falling 
from  a  tree  up  which  Holman  had  urged  him  to 
climb  so  that  he  could  get  a  view  of  the  upper  sur 
face.  In  his  mad  pursuit  of  antiquities  the  Pro 
fessor  forgot  that  tree  climbing  was  an  accomplish 
ment  that  he  had  never  mastered  properly  in  the 
days  of  his  youth,  and  our  departure  was  somewhat 
delayed  by  the  shock  which  he  received  from  the 
fall.  The  camera  fell  upon  the  pile  of  leaves  which 
Leith  had  used  as  a  mattress,  and  it  escaped 

130 


KAIPI  PERFORMS  A  SERVICE  131 

with  abrasions  that  were  microscopical  compared  to 
those  received  by  the  Professor,  who  glared  angrily 
at  Holman  as  Edith  Herndon  attended  to  his  in 
juries. 

"I  thought  you  could  climb,"  murmured  the 
youngster.  "  'Pon  my  word  I  did.  I  wouldn't 
have  urged  you  to  get  up  there  if  I  didn't  think 
you  could  hang  to  a  limb." 

"I  am  acquainted  with  a  number  of  persons  who 
would  look  well  hanging  to  a  limb,"  retorted  the 
Professor,  as  he  rubbed  his  ankles. 

"Same  here,"  said  Holman,  unperturbed  by  the 
sharp  retort.  "When  I  think  over  their  actions, 
Professor,  I  wonder  how  they  escaped  being  sus 
pended  from  such  places.  Especially  when  you 
consider  that  trees  are  plentiful." 

We  made  slow  progress  during  the  morning. 
The  Professor's  accident  robbed  him  of  a  lot  of  the 
nimbleness  which  had  been  noticeable  during  the 
two  preceding  days,  and  the  other  members  of 
the  expedition  had  to  move  at  a  pace  that  would 
suit  his  stiff  limbs. 

"I'm  unlucky,"  whispered  Holman,  as  he  sat  be 
side  me  at  the  midday  halt.  "I  tried  to  show  him 
how  he  could  get  a  good  snapshot,  and  now  he's 
as  poisonous  as  a  red-necked  cobra  just  because  he 
was  silly  enough  to  skin  his  shins." 

We  crossed  the  lowest  part  of  the  valley  during 


I32  THE  WHITE  WATERFALL 

the  early  afternoon,  and  commenced  to  ascend 
gradually  toward  the  black  walls  on  the  far  side. 
Leith  had  remarked  at  the  lunch  table  that  we 
would  probably  reach  our  destination  on  the  follow 
ing  morning,  and  the  information  brought  a  thrill 
of  expectation  in  spite  of  the  suspicions  we  enter 
tained.  The  undefined  dread  had  upset  our  nerves, 
and  I  think  the  two  girls,  as  well  as  Holman  and 
myself,  were  looking  forward  anxiously  to  the 
arrival  at  the  objective  point  so  that  our  suspicions 
could  be  either  verified  or  abandoned.  Leith  was 
more  affable  than  usual  on  that  afternoon,  and  he 
held  forth  in  such  a  gloomy  fashion  upon  the  won 
ders  that  were  within  reach  that  the  Professor  almost 
forgot  his  injuries  and  his  animus  against  Holman  as 
he  listened  to  the  description. 

"It  is  my  opinion  that  the  island  was  the  burial 
ground  of  the  chiefs  of  the  nearby  groups,"  remarked 
Leith.  "There  is  every  indication  that  the  people 
who  were  buried  here  were  not  ordinary  people,  as 
you  will  see  when  you  view  the  wonders  that  will 
meet  your  eyes  to-morrow." 

The  Professor  beamed  through  his  thick  glasses, 
and,  forgetting  his  injuries,  gave  a  little  jump  in 
negotiating  an  obstruction,  but  the  look  of  agony 
which  passed  across  his  face  proved  that  his  injured 
limb  objected  to  useless  gambols. 

"We  may  be  wrong  after  all,"  muttered  Holman, 


KAIPI  PERFORMS  A  SERVICE  133 

after  he  had  listened  to  Leith's  description  of  the 
wonders  of  the  tombs  of  the  long-dead  members 
of  Polynesian  royal  families.  "I  hate  to  be  sus 
picious  of  a  fellow,  and  I'll  be  glad  if  he  proves 
genuine  in  the  end." 

"So  will  I,"  I  remarked.  "If  he  measures  up  all 
right  I'll  be  half  inclined  to  apologize  before  I  go 
back  to  take  a  gruelling  from  Captain  Newmarch." 

It  was  Kaipi  who  stampeded  the  small  ray  of 
charity  that  had  pierced  the  cluster  of  suspicions 
we  had  collected.  The  little  Fijian  performed  the 
trick  about  seven  o'clock  in  the  evening,  and  it  was 
done  in  a  most  effective  manner.  When  we  had 
made  camp,  Leith  had  sent  Soma  on  ahead  with 
the  ostensible  purpose  of  locating  the  easiest  route 
to  the  base  of  the  cliffs,  and  an  hour  afterward  Kaipi 
managed  to  attract  my  attention,  and  he  indicated 
by  signs  that  he  had  information  to  impart.  I 
seized  a  chance  to  help  him  with  the  small  tent 
which  sheltered  the  two  sisters,  and  as  we  tugged  at 
the  knots  he  slipped  a  small  piece  of  paper  into  my 
hand. 

"What  is  it?"  I  asked. 

"Soma  drop  it,"  he  explained  nervously.  "I 
follow  him  just  little  way  think  get  good  chance  kill 
him,  but  no  chance  come.  He  drop  little  piece  of 
paper  from  his  belt;  me  pick  'em  up.  I  no  know 
what  it  say;  you  read." 


i34  THE  WHITE  WATERFALL 

I  crammed  the  note  into  my  pocket  as  Leith 
approached,  but  at  the  first  opportunity  I  dived 
into  a  thicket  of  leaves  and  opened  it  with  nervous 
fingers.  It  was  brief,  exceedingly  brief,  but  no 
number  of  words  could  have  produced  the  same 
cold  chill  of  dread  which  took  possession  of  me  as 
I  glanced  over  the  scrawl  upon  the  paper.  The 
note  read: 

"  Five  babies  for  kindergarten.  Arrange  everything.  Meet 
at  the  Long  Gallery." 

I  stumbled  out  on  the  clearing  in  a  half  stupor. 
The  arrival  of  the  long-expected  confirmation  of 
our  suspicions  had  the  same  effect  upon  me  as  a 
blow  from  a  sandbag.  Leith  was  apparently  every 
thing  that  Holman  and  the  girls  had  suspected  him 
of  being,  and  as  I  looked  around  at  the  nearly 
impenetrable  jungle  growth  upon  which  the  night 
had  come  down  with  that  appalling  swiftness  of 
the  tropics,  I  understood  the  helpless  condition  in 
which  we  were  placed.  Soma  and  the  other  five 
carriers  were  evidently  tools  of  the  big  bully;  the 
person  or  persons  to  whom  the  note  was  addressed 
would  also  stand  behind  him  in  a  fray,  and  against 
this  little  army  there  was  Holman,  Kaipi,  the  two 
sisters,  and  myself.  The  Professor's  insane  craving 
for  a  sight  of  the  antiquities  would  probably  make 
him  a  partisan  of  the  big  brute  till  his  devilish  tricks 
were  laid  sufficiently  bare  to  allow  the  childish  mind 


KAIPI  PERFORMS  A  SERVICE  135 

of  the  scientist  to  see  through  them.  The  situation 
was  pitiful  to  contemplate,  and  sick  with  terror  at 
thoughts  of  the  fate  of  the  two  girls,  I  found  Holman 
an  I  pulled  him  out  of  the  circle  of  light  thrown  by 
the  fire  which  Kaipi  was  tending. 

"What  is  it?"  he  asked. 

"I've  got  proof!"  I  cried.  "Soma  dropped  a 
note  that  Leith  sent  him  off  with  when  we  halted. 
Kaipi  found  it  and  brought  it  to  me." 

I  recited  the  few  words  that  were  now  pounding 
madly  through  my  brain,  but  the  mere  recitation 
would  not  satisfy  Holman.  He  wanted  to  see  the 
words  —  to  stare  at  them,  so  that  his  eyes  might 
confirm  the  information  which  his  ears  had  gathered, 
and  together  we  dived  deeper  into  the  creepers  till 
it  was  safe  for  him  to  light  a  match  by  which  he 
could  view  the  scrawl. 

"My  God!"  he  cried  hoarsely.  "He's  a  devil, 
Verslun!  We're  fools!  Infernal  fools!  Do  you 
hear  me?  I'll  shoot  the  brute  now!" 

He  flung  aside  my  hands  and  made  a  dash  toward 
the  fire,  plunging  through  the  creepers  with  a 
strength  born  of  the  sudden  flame  of  temper  which 
had  come  with  the  confirmation  of  Leith's  duplicity. 
The  boy's  love  for  Barbara  Herndon  made  him  a 
madman  as  he  raced  madly  to  obtain  vengeance 
from  the  brute  who  had  led  us  into  the  trap. 

Like  two  maniacs  we  rushed  into  the  light  of  the 


136  THE  WHITE  WATERFALL 

fire,  but  only  the  two  girls  and  the  Professor  were 
seated  round  it.  Leith  was  not  in  sight. 

"Where  is  he?"  gasped  Holman. 

The  Professor  looked  up  in  mild  astonishment. 
"Who?"  he  asked. 

"Leith!"  cried  the  boy.     "Where  has  he  gone?" 

"Mr.  Leith  has  gone  forward  to  help  Soma," 
squeaked  the  Professor.  "It  will  be  moonlight,  so 
he  took  the  opportunity  of  making  certain  about 
the  direction  we  were  to  go  in  the  morning.  He 
said  he  would  not  be  back  before  daylight." 

Holman  mastered  his  anger,  and  I  beckoned  the 
Professor  to  one  side.  It  was  necessary  to  make 
an  attempt  to  convince  the  foolish  old  scientist 
that  we  were  in  the  hands  of  a  scoundrel,  and  I 
determined  to  place  the  note  and  our  suspicions 
before  him. 

I  told  hurriedly  of  the  appearance  of  the  figure 
upon  the  stone  table  on  the  previous  evening,  but 
before  I  had  time  to  tell  of  the  note,  the  doddering 
old  imbecile  interrupted. 

"What's  that?"  he  cried.  "Some  one  else  upon 
the  island?  Well,  they  can't  steal  the  honour  of 
the  discoveries.  I  have  first  claim  upon  every 
thing  we  find  upon  the  place.  Mr.  Leith  and  I 
made  that  arrangement  before  we  left  Sydney. 
Besides,  it  is  Mr.  Leith's  island,  and  if  other  scien 
tists  are  here  — 


KAIPI  PERFORMS  A  SERVICE  137 

"Oh,  confound  it!  Who  said  they  were  scien 
tists?"  roared  Holman.  "It's  bad  luck  for  us  that 
they  are  not.  Scientists  are  harmless,  but  these  are 
natives  or  something  worse." 

"Leith  will  fix  'em!"  cried  the  Professor,  ignoring 
the  youngster's  comment  on  the  inoffensive  nature 
of  men  of  his  type.  "Leith  will  put  them  off  the 
place  - 

"Stop  chattering  and  read  that!"  I  interrupted. 
"Your  precious  friend  sent  this  ahead  by  Soma. 
He  dropped  it  and  we  got  hold  of  it." 

Holman  struck  a  match  and  held  it  over  the  scrap 
of  paper  while  the  scientist  stared  at  it  through  his 
thick  glasses. 

"Well?"  he  queried.  "What  has  this  nonsense 
to  do  with  me?" 

"The  five  babies/'  snapped  Holman. 

"Five  babies?"  repeated  the  Professor.  "I  know 
nothing  about  babies!" 

His  small  head  wagged  backward  and  forward 
as  he  made  the  statement,  and  his  evident  inability 
to  see  that  the  reference  concerned  us  irritated  the 
youngster  beyond  measure. 

"You're  the  biggest  baby  of  the  five!"  he  roared. 
"You're  a  madman!  Come  away,  Verslun;  it's  no 
use  arguing  with  him!" 

The  Professor  gave  an  indignant  snort,  straight 
ened  his  small  body,  as  if  he  contemplated  an  attack 


I38  THE  WHITE  WATERFALL 

upon  the  youngster,  then  dashed  madly  back  to  the 
fire,  where  we  watched  him  bobbing  his  head  up 
and  down  as  he  spoke  to  the  two  girls.  His  con 
fidence  in  the  rascal  who  was  possibly  luring  him 
to  his  death  was  pitiful  to  see,  and  we  recognized 
at  that  moment  that  it  would  be  useless  to  waste 
any  further  arguments  with  him. 

"We've  got  to  get  out  of  this  scrape  by  our  own 
efforts,"  muttered  Holman.  "The  girls  won't  leave 
him,  worse  luck.  If  they  would  I'd  turn  tail  this 
minute  and  make  an  attempt  to  fight  our  way  back 
to  the  yacht." 

"And  I  doubt  if  you  will  find  a  haven  there," 
I  remarked.  "That  bilious  captain  was  in  a  great 
hurry  to  send  word  to  Leith  that  I  had  got  safely 
by  his  farewell  bombardment.  We're  in  for  it,  old 
man,  and  we  might  as  well  realize  the  fact  right  now." 

"You're  not  sorry  I  found  you  on  that  pile  of 
pearl  shell?" 

"Sony?"  I  cried.  "I'm  glad,  man  —  I'm  infer 
nally  glad." 

Holman  gripped  my  hand,  and  then  we  crawled 
through  the  bushes  toward  the  spot  where  Soma 
and  Leith  had  started  off  on  their  supposed  work  of 
exploration. 

"What  can  we  do?"  I  asked. 

"Wait  round  here  and  pot  him  when  he  is  com 
ing  back,"  said  the  youngster  cheerfully.  "But  we 


KAIPI  PERFORMS  A  SERVICE  139 

should  let  the  girls  know  something,  shouldn't  we? 
That  old  fool  will  tell  them  a  garbled  account  that 
will  frighten  them  out  of  their  wits.  One  of  us  had 
better  go  and  try  to  quiet  their  fears." 

"You  go  then,"  I  remarked.  "I'll  wait  here  till 
you  come  back." 

Holman  crept  quietly  toward  the  campfire,  and 
I  waited  in  the  undergrowth.  The  moon  was  ris 
ing  in  the  east  and  a  soft  gray  light  wiped  out  the 
intense  blackness  that  had  come  upon  the  place 
after  the  short  twilight.  The  tops  of  the  cliffs  to 
ward  which  we  were  journeying  were  tipped  by  a 
brilliant  thread  of  silver  as  the  moon  peeped  above 
their  ramparts,  and  I  crept  deeper  into  the  shadows 
as  the  full  glory  of  the  glowing  orb  turned  the  night 
into  day. 

I  had  waited  some  thirty  minutes  for  Holman 
when  I  noticed  a  movement  beneath  a  small  bush 
some  fifteen  paces  to  my  right.  I  watched  the  spot 
without  moving,  and  presently  a  dark  figure  crept 
out  of  the  shelter  and  moved  cautiously  toward  the 
camp.  Convinced  that  the  visitor  was  Soma,  I 
pulled  out  my  revolver  and  waited,  wondering  as 
I  watched  what  he  intended  to  do. 

The  black  figure  came  closer.  He  paused  to 
listen  to  the  sounds  that  came  from  the  fire,  and  as 
he  lifted  his  head  the  moonlight  fell  across  his  face, 
and  I  put  the  revolver  back  in  my  pocket. 


i4o  THE  WHITE  WATERFALL 

"Kaipi,"  I  murmured. 

The  Fijian  crept  quietly  to  the  spot  where  I  was 
hiding. 

"I  come  for  you,"  he  muttered. 

"Why?" 

"Funny  things  much,"  he  gurgled.  "Light  on 
mountain,  no  see  from  here.  Me  watch  it,  think  it 
something  bad.  Come,  I'll  show  you." 

Holman  returned  at  that  moment  and  I  ex 
plained  what  Kaipi  had  just  told  me. 

"The  devil!"  muttered  the  youngster.  "The 
note  said  that  he  would  meet  them  at  the  Long 
Gallery.  See,  the  light  is  not  visible  from  our 
camp,  and  the  brute  never  thought  that  one  of  us 
would  be  far  enough  from  the  camp  to  notice  it. 
If  it's  a  signal  we  might  be  able  to  reach  the  spot 
and  see  what  is  actually  going  on.  If  we  leave 
things  till  to-morrow  I'm  afraid  we'll  be  too  late." 

"But  the  girls?"  I  cried. 

"We'll  get  back,"  he  replied.  "I  told  them  how 
everything  is,  Verslun,  and  they're  not  afraid. 
Edith  has  an  automatic  pistol  that  she  brought 
from  the  yacht,  and  she'll  use  it  if  she  is  forced  to. 
Come  on!" 

We  followed  Kaipi  into  the  shadows,  the  Fijian 
picking  his  way  with  wonderful  instinct  through 
the  clumps.  At  about  half  a  mile  from  the  camp 
he  stopped  and  pointed  to  the  cliffs. 


KAIPI  PERFORMS  A  SERVICE  141 

"Me  see  light  flash  way  over  there,"  he  whis 
pered.  "You  wait  and  see." 

We  crouched  down  and  waited.  The  minutes 
passed  slowly,  but  the  black  barrier  away  to  the 
east  gave  no  sign  of  life. 

"I  think  Kaipi  must  have  sighted  a  star,"  mut 
tered  Holman.  "There  is  nothing  — 

He  broke  off  abruptly  and  gripped  my  arm. 
High  up  in  the  basalt  barrier,  at  a  spot  about  three 
quarters  of  a  mile  from  where  we  were  crouched,  a 
tiny  flame  suddenly  appeared,  blazed  for  an  instant, 
then  died  away  again.  Three  times  it  flared  up 
and  as  quickly  died  away,  but  at  the  third  disap 
pearance  Holman  and  I,  with  the  vengeance-seek 
ing  Kaipi,  were  struggling  through  the  network  of 
damp  vegetation  toward  the  spot  from  which  the 
signal  had  come. 


CHAPTER  XII 

THE    DEVIL  DANCERS 

THE  snaky  vines  seemed  to  us  to  be  leagued 
with  Leith  as  we  tried  to  force  our  way 
to  the  spot  where  the  tiny  flash  of  light 
had  appeared  amongst  the  rocks.  The  lawyer-vines 
gripped  our  ankles  and  flung  us  upon  our  faces 
scores  of  times,  but  we  scrambled  to  our  feet  and 
rushed  on.  Kaipi  had  made  the  discovery  at  an 
opportune  moment.  Now  that  we  were  certain 
that  Leith  contemplated  treachery,  the  wait  through 
the  long  night  would  have  maddened  us.  We 
wanted  to  meet  him  quickly,  and  instinct  told  us 
that  the  appointment  place  mentioned  in  the  note 
was  identical  with  the  spot  to  which  we  were  fight 
ing  our  way. 

142 


THE  DEVIL  DANCERS  143 

We  were  bruised  and  bleeding  when  we  reached 
the  foot  of  the  black  cliffs  whose  perpendicular  walls 
towered  above  us.  We  were  almost  certain  that  the 
light  had  been  flashed  from  a  point  immediately 
above  the  spot  where  we  came  face  to  face  with  the 
barrier,  but  the  scaling  of  the  black  barricade  was 
a  proposition  that  seemed  incapable  of  solution  as 
we  rushed  along  the  base. 

"This  is  the  spot,"  gasped  Holman.  "This  big 
tree  cluster  was  just  to  the  right  of  the  place 
where  the  light  was  flashed." 

"That's  so,"  I  remarked,  "but  how  are  we  to  get 
up  to  the  point  where  the  signal  came  from?" 

We  raced  madly  up  and  down  the  front  of  the 
strange  black  wall,  hunting  eagerly  for  a  place  that 
offered  the  slightest  foothold  by  which  we  could 
climb  to  the  terraces  that  we  could  see  far  above, 
but  the  search  was  a  futile  one.  The  tremendous 
mountain  of  ebony  rock  appeared  to  have  been 
driven  up  out  of  the  earth  during  some  volcanic 
disturbance,  and  as  we  stumbled  blindly  along  we 
thought  it  would  be  easier  to  scale  the  outside  wall 
of  a  New  York  skyscraper  than  the  slippery  sides 
of  the  obstruction  in  our  path. 

It  was  Holman  who  found  a  key  to  the  situation. 
The  big  clump  of  maupei,  or  Pacific  chestnut,  that 
we  had  taken  as  a  landmark  when  we  were  running 
through  the  moonlit  night,  grew  close  to  the  barrier, 


144  THE  WHITE  WATERFALL 

and  the  limbs  of  several  of  the  trees  scraped  the  sides 
of  the  basalt  columns  as  the  faint  night  breeze  moved 
them  backward  and  forward. 

"There's  a  ledge  up  there,"  whispered  the  young 
ster.  "  Look !  It's  about  fifty  feet  from  the  ground. 
If  we  could  climb  a  tree  we  might  be  able  to  reach 
it  from  one  of  the  limbs." 

He  had  hardly  outlined  the  proposition  before 
we  were  swarming  up  the  trunk,  Holman  in  the  lead 
by  right  of  discovery,  and  the  nimble  Kaipi  in  the 
rear.  Higher  and  higher  the  youngster  climbed 
into  the  thick  green  foliage.  He  reached  the  top 
most  branches,  and  selecting  one  that  led  toward 
the  rocky  wall,  he  straddled  it  and  worked  his  way 
slowly  forward. 

Kaipi  and  I  clung  to  the  fork  of  the  limb  and 
waited,  and  as  I  watched  Holman  the  wisdom  of 
our  actions  was  assailed  by  a  cold  doubt.  We  had 
left  the  two  girls  entirely  unprotected,  and  if  Leith 
reached  the  camp  before  we  returned,  and  heard 
from  the  chattering  Professor  the  story  of  the  find 
ing  of  the  scrap  of  paper,  it  would  be  reasonable  to 
suppose  that  he  would  consider  the  moment  had 
arrived  for  the  perpetration  of  any  deviltry  he  had 
planned. 

But  Holman's  actions  interrupted  my  mental 
criticism  of  the  wisdom  of  our  plans.  The  youngster 
had  reached  the  extreme  end  of  the  limb,  and  he  was 


THE  DEVIL  DANCERS  145 

clawing  madly  at  the  rock  to  obtain  a  footing.  He 
succeeded  after  a  five  minutes'  struggle,  and  he  sent 
a  breathless  whisper  back  to  our  perch. 

"There's  a  ledge  here,"  he  murmured.  "I  think 
we  can  climb  up  from  it.  Hurry  along,  and  I'll 
give  you  a  hand." 

I  needed  a  hand  when  I  reached  the  end  of  that 
leafy  seesaw.  I  was  much  heavier  than  the  boy,  and 
the  limb  could  hardly  support  my  weight  when  I 
neared  the  end.  Holman  reached  out  his  hand  at 
a  moment  when  I  thought  that  a  drop  through  the 
air  would  be  my  reward  for  attempting  aerial  ex 
hibitions,  and  the  next  moment  I  was  beside  him 
on  a  little  projection  that  barely  gave  us  a  footing. 

"It's  easy  climbing  just  above  us,"  whispered 
Holman.  "  Wait  till  we  get  Kaipi." 

The  Fijian  came  along  the  limb  with  the  agility 
of  a  trapeze  artist,  and  when  he  reached  the  ledge 
we  stared  up  at  the  dizzy  heights  that  rose  above 
our  little  resting  place.  Small  jutting  projections, 
like  gargoyles,  stuck  out  from  the  wall,  and  we 
looked  at  them  hungrily. 

"If  we  had  only  brought  the  rope!"  cried  the  boy. 
"Say,  Verslun,  put  your  face  against  the  rock  and 
I'll  climb  on  to  your  shoulders." 

I  did  so,  and  the  youngster  climbed  up  cautiously. 
For  a  long  time  he  stood  there,  peering  around  in 
an  effort  to  discover  a  path  by  which  we  could  go 


i46  THE  WHITE  WATERFALL 

upward  and  onward,  but  at  last  he  stepped  off,  and 
I  looked  up  to  find  him  clinging  to  the  wall  like  a 
huge  beetle.  A  pack  of  fat  clouds  that  had  harried 
the  moon  during  the  earlier  part  of  the  evening 
now  closed  in  upon  her,  and  we  were  in  complete 
darkness.  The  threshing  limb  of  the  maupei  tree 
that  was  within  a  yard  or  two  of  the  spot  where 
Kaipi  and  I  stood  waiting  disappeared  in  the  night, 
and  the  scratching  of  Holman's  shoes  high  above 
our  heads  came  down  to  us  through  the  intense 
silence  and  proved  that  he  was  holding  his  position 
with  difficulty. 

A  small  piece  of  shale  hit  me  on  the  shoulder  after 
a  long  wait,  and  I  turned  my  face  upward. 

"Verslun!"  breathed  the  strained  voice  of  the 
youngster.  "Are  you  there?" 

"Well?"  I  asked. 

"H'sh!"  he  murmured.  "We  are  right  near 
the  spot,  Verslun.  If  Kaipi  climbs  up  on  your 
shoulders  to  this  place  I  think  the  two  of  us  could 
pull  you  up.  Are  you  willing?" 

"Come  on,  Kaipi,"  I  whispered,  and  the  Fijian 
climbed  nimbly  upon  me  and  moved  up  into  the  void 
above. 

"Now,  Verslun,"  muttered  Holman.  "Reach 
up  till  we  get  a  grip  of  your  wrists.  Are  you  ready  ? 
Well,  try  hard,  man!  Think  of  those  two  helpless 
girls  and  dig  your  toes  in!" 


THE  DEVIL  DANCERS  147 

I  didn't  need  any  reminder  concerning  the  posi 
tion  of  the  two  sisters  as  I  stood  on  tiptoe  and 
scratched  with  my  fingers  at  the  crumbling  ledge 
upon  which  Holman  and  the  Fijian  crouched.  The 
predicament  of  Edith  Herndon,  and  not  fears  for 
my  own  safety,  made  me  scratch  madly  for  a  foot 
hold  as  I  swung  above  the  shelf  I  left.  Kaipi  and 
Holman  tugged  till  every  muscle  in  my  arms  shrieked 
out  against  the  way  they  were  being  handled.  But 
I  was  going  up.  I  "chinned"  the  crumbling  layer 
of  rock  upon  which  my  fingers  had  a  perilous  grip, 
laid  my  chest  across  the  shelf  and  wriggled  into 
safety. 

"That's  good,"  whispered  Holman.  "Don't  puff 
so  hard,  man !  We're  too  close  to  take  any  chances." 

I  got  upon  my  hands  and  knees  and  followed  him 
along  the  narrow  pathway.  Over  a  thousand  ob 
structions  we  crawled  like  three  rock  snakes,  till 
finally  the  boy  halted  and  turned  toward  me. 

"See  the  streak  of  light  through  that  split  in  the 
rock?"  he  whispered.  "Look  in  front  of  you! 
Well,  they're  inside." 

The  split  in  the  rock  to  which  Holman  had  pointed 
was  a  perpendicular  crevice  about  four  feet  in  length, 
but  possessing  only  a  width  of  six  inches.  It  sep 
arated  two  rock  masses  that  were  fully  eighteen 
inches  thick,  and  as  we  wriggled  noiselessly  toward  it 
we  saw  that  it  gave  us  a  glimpse  of  the  interior  of 


i48  THE  WHITE  WATERFALL 

a  huge  cavern,  the  part  of  which  that  was  just  inside 
our  point  of  observation  being  illuminated  by  a 
swinging  ship's  lamp  which  hung  by  a  rope  that 
dropped  from  the  vaulted  dome. 

The  lamp  swung  directly  in  front  of  the  crevice 
through  which  we  peered  breathlessly,  and  for  a 
few  seconds  it  was  the  only  object  that  was  visible. 
Gradually  our  eyes  became  accustomed  to  the  light, 
and  we  found  that  a  pair  of  brown  legs  were  moving 
slowly  along  the  floor  past  our  spyhole.  A  body, 
gorgeously  decorated  in  mats  of  green  and  crimson 
parrot  feathers,  followed  the  legs,  and  then  came 
a  head  that  was  hidden  behind  a  mask  of  sennet 
daubed  thickly  with  coral  lime  and  ochre  till  it  ap 
peared  a  ghastly  nightmare. 

The  horror  moved  upon  its  stomach,  and,  viewing 
it  as  we  did  through  the  narrow  cranny,  it  appeared 
as  if  the  film  of  a  biograph  was  being  slowly  dragged 
before  our  eyes.  Another  pair  of  legs  followed  the 
masked  head,  another  body,  and  another  mask  that 
was  even  more  fear-inspiring  than  the  first.  And 
the  procession  continued.  Three,  four,  five,  and  six 
—  each  succeeding  one  being  arrayed  in  a  mask  of 
more  ghastly  appearance  than  those  which  had 
preceded  him.  The  sixth  was  followed  by  the  first, 
who  had  wriggled  clear  around  the  circle  of  light 
thrown  by  the  lamp,  and  in  perfect  silence  the 
infernal  snaky  circle  moved  backward  round  and 


THE  DEVIL  DANCERS  149 

round,  the  faint  light  shining  on  bare  legs,  on  bodies 
from  which  the  parrot  mats  were  thrust  aside  by 
the  contortions,  and  upon  the  masks  that  were 
weirdly  fantastic  and  Mephistophelian. 

They  had  circled  the  floor  about  ten  times  when 
Holman  tugged  my  coat  and  I  wriggled  back  from 
the  crevice. 

"What's  up?"  My  lips  were  dry  as  I  put  the 
question. 

"Kaipi." 

" Where  is  he?" 

"  Cleared  out.  Those  human  serpents  scared  him. 
Go  softly,  man!  We  must  get  him  before  he  at 
tempts  to  go  down  that  cliff  or  he'll  break  his  thick 
head." 

We  caught  up  to  the  deserter  on  the  ledge  to  which 
Holman  and  the  Fijian  had  dragged  me  a  short  time 
before,  and  the  youngster  abused  the  frightened 
native  as  he  endeavoured  to  turn  him  back 

"No,  no ! "  shrieked  the  Fijian.  "Me  no  see  dance 
like  that.  Me  die  if  I  stay." 

"Why?"  I  asked. 

"It  is  'tivo' -- death  dance,"  gasped  Kaipi. 
"Wizard  men  dance  it.  Something  going  happen, 
damn  bad." 

"But  they  can't  get  you,"  cried  Holman.  "Come 
back  and  watch  them.  Soma  and  Leith  will  be 
there  directly,  and  you'll  get  your  revenge." 


But  Kaipi  would  have  nothing  more  of  the  per 
formance  in  the  rocky  chamber.  The  repulsive 
masks  and  the  backward  wriggling  of  the  six  upon 
the  floor  had  upset  his  fighting  stomach  for  the 
time  being,  and  we  could  not  induce  him  to  return. 

"Well,  you  wait  here,"  ordered  Holman.  "We're 
going  back,  but  we'll  return  in  a  few  hours  and  pick 
you  up.  Don't  move  from  this  ledge." 

Kaipi  would  promise  anything  if  he  was  not  forced 
to  witness  the  performance,  and  we  left  him  huddled 
up  in  the  darkness,  and  returned  to  the  spyhole  in 
the  wall. 

The  "tivo,"  as  the  Fijian  called  it,  was  still  in 
progress.  Without  noise,  the  six  half-nude  figures 
were  describing  circles  upon  the  smooth  floor.  The 
silence  and  the  serpentlike  motions  had  a  peculiar 
hypnotic  effect  upon  us,  and  in  a  sort  of  dreamlike 
trance  we  watched  them  wriggle  by  the  narrow 
aperture  to  which  we  pressed  our  faces.  With  each 
circle  more  of  the  brown,  sweat-polished  bodies 
showed  beneath  the  twisted  mats.  The  pace  was 
beginning  to  tell  upon  them  now.  Slower  and 
slower  they  moved  past  the  crevice,  till  at  last  all 
movement  ceased,  and,  apparently  lifeless,  they  lay 
face  downward  upon  the  floor. 

I  thought  of  the  two  girls  at  the  lonely  camp  as 
we  sat  watching,  and  I  knew  well  that  Holmari's 
thoughts  were  turned  in  the  same  direction.  We 


THE  DEVIL  DANCERS  151 

had  seen  nothing  of  Leith,  but  an  intuition  that 
would  not  be  put  aside  connected  Leith  with  the 
strange  ceremony  that  was  in  progress  within  the 
cavern,  and  we  were  chained  to  the  spot. 

I  have  no  idea  how  long  the  six  figures  remained 
motionless  upon  the  floor.  It  may  have  been  an 
hour,  it  may  have  been  two.  The  mystery  of  the 
performance  we  were  witnessing  seemed  to  drag  us 
into  a  world  where  minutes  and  hours  did  not  exist. 
We  were  dumfounded  by  the  confirmation  of  our 
suspicions  and  the  peculiarly  devilish  exhibition,  and 
I  shook  off  the  lethargy  with  an  effort  as  Holman 
prodded  me  with  his  finger  and  pointed  at  a  spot 
beyond  the  body  of  the  dancer  who  lay  immediately 
in  front  of  the  spyhole. 

Looking  in  the  direction  Holman  pointed  I  saw 
that  another  light  was  approaching  through  the 
gloom  of  the  cavern.  It  bobbed  toward  us  slowly, 
a  tiny  pin  point  that  came  nearer  and  nearer  as  the 
bearer  walked  in  the  direction  of  the  six.  The  dis 
tance  it  was  away  from  the  dancers,  which  was 
evident  from  the  time  that  elapsed  from  the  moment 
we  saw  it  till  it  was  close  up,  convinced  us  that  the 
cavern  was  of  an  enormous  length,  and  the  words 
"  Long  Gallery"  in  the  note  which  Soma  had  dropped 
came  up  before  my  mind.  There  was  no  doubt 
that  the  cave  was  the  meeting  spot  which  Leith 
had  mentioned,  and  as  I  felt  Holman's  body  stiffen 


152  THE  WHITE  WATERFALL 

as  he  shouldered  against  me  for  a  share  of  the  peep 
hole,  I  knew  that  he  believed  that  the  treacherous 
brute  was  one  of  the  three  that  were  approaching 
behind  the  bobbing  lamp. 

The  bodies  of  the  dancers,  or  at  least  the  parts 
that  we  could  see,  became  tense  and  rigid.  A  soft 
hiss  went  round  the  circle,  and  once  again  the 
wriggling  movement  started.  But  this  time  the  six 
went  forward  instead  of  backward.  They  broke  out 
of  the  circular  formation,  and  in  a  long  glistening 
line  moved  up  the  cavern  toward  the  three  approach 
ing.  The  lamp  halted,  then  it  was  raised  high  in  the 
air  as  the  crawling  half  dozen  approached,  and  Hoi- 
man  gave  a  curious  little  gurgle  as  the  light  fell 
upon  the  three  newcomers.  Wrapped  in  parrot 
feathers  and  a  white  mask,  the  lamp  bearer  stood 
revealed  as  Soma.  Immediately  behind  him  was 
a  tall  white  man  in  the  same  outlandish  garb,  while 
the  last  of  the  three,  barearmed  and  barelegged,  and 
wearing  an  immense  headdress  of  plumes,  was 
Leith! 

The  snaky  six  circled  the  three  at  a  respectful 
distance,  then,  again  breaking  into  a  single  file  form 
ation,  they  turned  toward  the  end  of  the  cave  nearest 
our  spyhole,  and  behind  the  length  of  creeping 
bodies,  Soma,  the  tall  white  who  had  only  one  eye, 
and  Leith  came  slowly. 

Holman's  breath  came  faster  as  the  procession 


THE  DEVIL  DANCERS  153 

approached.  The  exhibition  chilled  us.  There  was 
a  devilish  suggestiveness  in  the  proceeding.  In 
some  indescribable  manner  it  brought  up  mental 
pictures  that  were  nauseating,  and  it  required  some 
thing  of  an  effort  to  watch  the  performance.  The 
mystery  of  the  silent  night,  the  thoughts  of  the 
danger  which  threatened  the  two  girls,  and  the 
glimpses  of  the  astounding  performance  within  the 
cavern  brought  a  dazed  mental  condition  that  made 
us  doubt  our  sanity. 

I  felt  Holman's  hand  reach  out  across  my  shoulder 
as  the  procession  moved  down  upon  us,  and  in 
stinctively  I  understood  the  movement.  The  cold 
barrel  of  a  revolver  had  slipped  by  my  face,  and  I 
gripped  his  wrist  and  forced  the  hand  downward. 
The  manner  in  which  Soma  and  the  one-eyed  man 
walked  in  front  of  the  big  brute  made  it  impossible 
to  shoot  with  telling  effect,  and  Leith  was  the  person 
we  desired  to  kill  at  that  moment.  The  others 
seemed  to  be  but  creatures  of  his  will,  and  he  stood 
up  in  our  minds  as  a  devil  whose  existence  was  a 
menace  to  everything  that  was  pure  and  clean. 

The  three  newcomers  moved  to  the  side  of  the 
cavern,  so  that  nothing  except  their  bare  feet  were 
visible,  and  backward  and  forward  in  front  of  those 
feet  moved  the  human  serpents  with  a  regularity 
that  was  stupefying.  In  an  unbroken  line  they 
would  move  forward,  flatten  themselves  upon  the 


154 

floor,  then,  with  a  unanimity  that  was  remarkable, 
they  would  wriggle  backward,  to  repeat  the  same 
movement  over  again. 

Holman  pulled  me  away  at  last,  and  we  retired 
to  a  point  that  made  it  possible  for  us  to  converse 
in  low  whispers  without  being  heard. 

"What  will  we  do?"  he  gasped.  "I  can't  stay 
there  any  longer!  I  want  to  get  inside  to  the  devil! 
I  don't  want  to  shoot  him;  I  want  to  throttle  him 
with  my  two  hands!" 

"But  the  entrance  to  the  cavern  is  from  some 
where  on  the  other  side  of  the  hill,"  I  remonstrated, 
as  the  young  fellow  raved  about  our  helplessness. 

"We  must  get  there!" 

"Don't  lose  your  head  about  it,"  I  remarked. 
"Keep  cool  and  we'll  win  out  in  the  long  run." 

It  was  useless  to  speak  of  patience  to  that  boy  at 
the  moment.  He  clawed  desperately  at  the  slippery 
wall  in  an  endeavour  to  find  a  path  that  would  lead 
us  to  the  opening  on  the  other  side  by  which  Leith 
had  made  his  entry,  but  the  attempt  appeared  to 
be  madness.  A  dozen  times  the  youngster  scram 
bled  up  rough  portions  that  offered  a  slight  footing, 
but  each  time  he  slipped  back  bruised  and  battered. 
He  would  listen  to  no  arguments.  The  desire  to  get 
to  the  mouth  of  the  cavern,  and  kill  Leith  before 
the  morning,  had  produced  an  insanity,  and  we 
crawled  and  climbed  along  the  face  of  those  basalt 


THE  DEVIL  DANCERS  155 

cliffs  in  a  manner  that  chilled  my  spinal  marrow. 
Holman  possessed  the  courage  of  a  maniac.  His 
imagination  was  blinded  to  the  dangers  that  lay 
alongside  the  crumbling  shelves  of  rock,  and  I 
scrambled  behind  him  wondering  dimly  what  would 
happen  to  Edith  and  her  sister  if  an  unkind  fate 
flung  us  from  the  ledge  into  the  darkness  from  which 
the  soft  croon  of  the  chestnut  clumps  came  up  like 
a  warning  against  our  foolhardiness. 

Holman  paused  at  the  end  of  a  wearisome  climb, 
and  he  drew  himself  upright.  At  that  moment 
the  cloud-harried  moon  dragged  herself  from  be 
neath  the  pack,  and  the  young  fellow  gave  a  cry  of 

joy. 

"We  can  do  it  from  here,  Verslun,"  he  cried.  "I 
see  a  path  to  the  top.  Come  along,  man!" 

"What  about  Kaipi?"  I  gasped.  "We'll  never 
find  our  way  back  here." 

"Let  him  sit  there,"  he  snorted.  "Hurry  or  the 
moon  will  be  under  the  clouds  before  we  cross  the 
cliff." 


CHAPTER  XIII 

TOMBS    OF    SILENCE 

FOR  my  own  part  I  found  no  great  liking  for 
the  moonlight.      Up  to  that  moment  I  had 
followed    blindly  in   the   tracks  of  Holman, 
nerved   somewhat   by   the   thought   that   the   trail 
he  passed  over  would  carry  me.     The  dangers  were 
hidden  by  the  darkness,  and  my  imagination  was 
too  stunned  by  the  happenings  of  the  night  to  make 
any  endeavour  to  torture  my  nerves  by  picturing 
them. 

But  the  reappearance  of  the  moon  brought  an 
opportunity  to  my  eyes,  and  I  wondered  if  we  could 
negotiate  the  goat  track  which  the  youngster  was 
scrambling  over.  I  turned  my  face  to  the  wall  and 

156 


TOMBS  OF  SILENCE  IS7 

crawled  timorously  in  the  rear.  Higher  and  higher 
we  went  with  bleeding  fingers  and  knees,  but  at  last 
Holman  reached  the  top,  and  I  dragged  myself 
up  beside  him. 

"Get  up!"  he  cried  savagely.  "We  must  kill 
the  devil  before  morning." 

We  got  to  our  feet  and  started  to  run  toward 
what  we  knew  to  be  the  direction  of  the  cavern. 
The  ground  sloped  gradually,  and  we  reasoned  that 
it  would  continue  to  fall  away  till  we  reached  the 
mouth  of  the  cavern  by  which  Leith  had  entered 
from  the  far  side.  For  once  we  had  a  clear  run. 
At  that  height  there  was  little  vegetation,  and  at  a 
mad  gait  we  sped  across  a  bare  stretch  where  the 
only  obstacles  were  lumps  of  rock  that  were  scattered 
around  in  great  profusion. 

"If  —  if  we  could  find  the  place  and  block  the 
devil  and  all  his  gang  inside,"  gasped  Holman. 

"That's  too  good  a  thing  to  entertain,"  I  splut 
tered. 

"We  might,  Verslun!  We  might!"  he  cried. 
"  I've  got  a  feeling  that  we've  been  picked  to  put  that 
devil  out  of  existence.  That's  why  I'm  taking  a 
chance  in  leaving  the  girls  back  there  at  the  camp. 
I  believe  I'm  going  to  kill  him,  but  whether  it  is 
to-night  or  some  other  time  I  don't  know." 

"The  sooner  the  better,"  I  stammered.  "From 
what  Kaipi  said  about  that  dance,  something  out 


i58  THE  WHITE  WATERFALL 

of  the  way  is  going  to  happen,  and  I've  got  a  hunch 
that  the  something  will  happen  to  us." 

Holman  remained  silent,  and  we  raced  on,  moving 
down  the  slope  at  an  angle  that  we  judged  would 
bring  us  somewhere  near  the  entrance.  At  moments 
my  brain  assured  me  that  it  was  a  mad  proceeding, 
but  something  of  the  certainty  with  which  the 
youngster  looked  upon  himself  as  the  Fate-appointed 
destroyer  of  Leith  came  to  me  as  I  raced  beside  him, 
and  I  put  aside  the  fears  for  Edith  Herndon's  safety 
that  besieged  me  as  I  ran.  The  last  doubt  about 
Leith's  treachery  had  been  chased  away  by  the 
dance  we  had  witnessed,  and  I  felt  assured  that  the 
man  was  a  monster,  a  vile  thing,  who,  for  some  pur 
pose  that  I  could  not  allow  myself  to  ponder 
over,  had  brought  the  foolish  old  scientist  and  his 
daughters  into  a  place  of  terrors.  Treachery  had 
been  apparent  from  the  start.  It  was  only  the  con 
fidence  of  the  old  antiquarian  that  had  blinded  our 
eyes  to  a  score  of  incidents  that  should  have  con 
vinced  us  that  the  brute  had  some  ulterior  motive 
in  view.  During  that  mad  race  through  the  night 
the  big  sallow-faced  giant  appeared  to  us  as  a  devil, 
a  fiend  that  was  connected  with  some  sort  of  horrible 
practices  that  had  continued  to  exist  in  this  remote 
islet  long  after  all  trace  of  such  things  had  been 
lost  in  those  islands  that  were  visited  by  traders 
and  missionaries.  Kaipi  connected  the  dance  with 


TOMBS  OF  SILENCE  159 

death,  and  the  same  conclusion  had  come  to  us  before 
we  had  heard  the  words  of  the  frightened  Fijian. 

Holman  slackened  speed,  and  we  dodged  through 
a  mass  of  boulders  that  we  judged  were  in  a  direct 
line  with  the  crevice  through  which  we  had  witnessed 
the  happenings  in  the  cave. 

"We  should  be  near  the  place  if  there  is  an  en 
trance  to  it  on  this  side,"  he  muttered.  "This  pile 
of  rocks  looks  from  —  oh,  Gee!  here's  a  path!" 

It  was  a  path,  sure  enough.  It  wound  in  and  out 
among  the  rocks,  a  narrow  beaten  trail,  singularly 
white  against  the  black  surroundings. 

Holman  stopped  and  took  up  a  handful  of  the  dust. 
"They  coat  it  with  coral  lime  to  make  it  plain  in 
the  darkness,"  he  growled.  "Come  on,  Verslun, 
the  wriggly  batch  must  be  straight  ahead." 

I  pulled  the  army  Colt  from  my  pocket  and  ran 
softly  abreast  of  the  youngster.  The  corrosive  ter 
ror  of  the  earlier  part  of  the  evening  had  fled  then, 
and  my  nerves  had  taken  up  a  sort  of  dare-devil 
attitude  toward  all  happenings  that  the  future 
might  hold  in  store.  Besides,  the  more  I  thought 
of  Leith,  the  greater  his  villainy  appeared  to  be, 
and  to  save  Edith  Herndon  from  the  slightest  con 
tact  with  the  ugly  ruffian  was  a  task  that  would 
give  the  greatest  coward  in  the  world  the  courage 
of  a  warrior. 

\ite  path  wound  in  and  out  of  the  boulders, 


160  THE  WHITE  WATERFALL 

which  became  thicker  as  we  advanced,  and  suddenly 
it  dived  through  a  dark  passage  into  the  side  of  the 
hill.  We  felt  that  we  were  at  the  mouth  of  the 
burrow  by  which  Leith  and  his  dancers  had  entered, 
and  we  moved  into  the  shadow  to  reconnoitre. 
Leith  had  informed  the  Professor  that  he  would 
not  return  to  the  camp  till  the  following  morning, 
so  the  chances  were  that  the  treacherous  scoundrel 
was  still  assisting  at  the  ceremonies  that  we  had 
witnessed. 

"Shall  we  go  in?"  whispered  Holman. 

"As  you  like,"  I  answered. 

He  moved  toward  the  mouth  of  the  burrow,  then 
stopped  and  turned  toward  me.  "What  time  is  it ? " 

"It's  ten  minutes  of  midnight,"  I  replied. 

"We've  got  six  hours,"  he  whispered.  "Come 
along,  we'll  chance  it." 

Very  cautiously  we  moved  into  the  darkness  of 
the  passageway,  feeling  our  way  along  the  walls 
that  were  cold  and  damp  from  the  moisture  which 
had  soaked  through  from  the  crown  of  the  cliff.  The 
place  was  not  more  than  five  feet  wide,  and  as  I 
walked  along  on  one  side  of  the  wall,  Holman,  feel 
ing  his  way  along  the  other,  could  touch  me  when 
ever  he  wished  to  ascertain  my  position.  Our  shoes 
made  no  sound  upon  the  floor  of  the  corridor.  It 
was  covered  deep  with  fine  dust,  upon  which  we 
walked  noiselessly.  ince  wit 


TOMBS  OF  SILENCE  161 

An  occasional  bat  fluttered  past  us,  but  outside 
the  flapping  of  the  wings  not  a  sound  disturbed  the 
stillness  of  the  place.  The  silence  of  the  outside 
was  intensified  a  hundredfold.  In  the  open,  one 
heard  the  crooning  of  the  trees  as  the  soft  winds 
from  the  Pacific  played  with  their  heavy  foliage, 
but  in  the  natural  passage  through  which  we  crawled 
in  search  of  Leith  the  air  felt  as  if  it  had  not  been 
disturbed  for  centuries.  It  was  heavy  and  thick, 
possessing  a  faint  odour  that  seemed  to  rise  from 
the  dust  beneath  our  feet. 

We  had  walked  about  one  hundred  yards  along 
the  corridor  when  it  widened  suddenly.  The  walls 
that  we  were  following  turned  off  at  right  angles, 
and  from  the  moonlight  which  filtered  through  a 
dozen  small  fissures  high  up  above  our  heads 
we  saw  that  we  had  entered  a  cavern  of  vast 
proportions.  We  sensed  its  vastness.  The  few 
streaks  of  moonlight  that  stabbed  the  darkness 
were  like  so  many  guide-posts  that  enabled  us  to 
make  a  mental  calculation  of  the  height  and  extent 
of  the  place. 

We  stopped  and  moved  together  instinctively. 
Holman  put  his  mouth  close  to  my  ear. 

"What  do  you  make  of  it?"  he  asked. 

"It  might  be  a  cavern  leading  into  the  one  that 
runs  out  to  the  face  of  the  cliff,"  I  replied. 

"But  how  are  we  to  cross  it?" 


i62  THE  WHITE  WATERFALL 

"I  can't  tell  you.  I'm  afraid  if  we  leave  this 
opening  that  we'll  get  lost." 

It  was  rather  plain  that  we  would.  The  sur 
rounding  walls  were  as  black  as  the  opening  by  which 
we  had  entered  the  place,  and  we  stood  with  quick- 
beating  hearts  staring  out  across  the  place  through 
which  the  bars  of  moonlight  appeared  like  silver 
skewers. 

One  of  these  skewers  fell  upon  a  ledge  of  stone  some 
few  yards  in  front  of  the  spot  where  we  were  stand 
ing,  and  Holman  stepped  toward  it. 

"Stay  where  you  are,"  he  said.  "If  I  get  lost 
I'll  whistle  softly  and  you  can  signal  back  to  me." 

He  moved  away  and  I  was  left  standing  in  the 
opening.  A  bat  banged  heavily  against  my  face, 
and  the  odour  from  the  dusty  floor  irritated  my 
nostrils  so  that  I  had  difficulty  in  restraining  my 
self  from  sneezing. 

It  was  about  twenty  minutes  before  Holman  re 
turned.  He  whistled  ever  so  softly,  and  when  I 
replied  he  came  toward  me  hurriedly. 

"Just  walk  out  to  that  spot  of  moonlight,"  he 
whispered.  "I'll  keep  guard  on  the  door.  Feel 
around  there  and  tell  me  what  you  think  of  it." 

I  did  as  he  directed.  I  walked  forward  to  the 
spot  and  felt  around  with  my  hands.  My  fingers 
came  in  contact  with  round,  smooth  objects  that 
filled  every  available  inch  of  a  stone  table  in  front 


TOMBS  OF  SILENCE  163 

of  me,  and  with  a  feeling  of  revulsion  I  hurried  back 
to  the  mouth  of  the  corridor.  Holman  gripped  my 
arm  and  put  a  question. 

"Gave  you  a  shock,  eh?" 

"Why,  they're  skulls!"  I  breathed  hoarsely. 

"Yes,  hundreds  of  'em,"  he  said.  "The  place  is 
chock  full  of  them.  This  island  must  have  been 
the  burying  ground  of  all  the  adjoining  groups,  and 
it's  the  atmosphere  of  the  place  that  keeps  the 
niggers  away  from  it.  Leith  has  been  wise  to  that. 
The  present  generation  of  islanders  know  nothing 
of  the  things  that  happened  here  hundreds  of  years 
back,  but  they've  got  an  inborn  horror  of  the  place, 
and  they  keep  away." 

"Well,  what  are  we  to  do?" 

"Wait  here." 

"But  if  he  doesn't  come  this  way?" 

"He  must,"  he  answered.  "  It's  the  only  way  out, 
I  think.  We  can't  go  across  this  wilderness,  so  it's 
safer  to  await  developments  here." 

We  hadn't  long  to  wait.  From  a  point  directly 
opposite  our  position,  and  at  a  distance  that  we 
judged  to  be  two  hundred  yards  away,  a  bobbing 
light  broke  into  the  wall  of  darkness  and  moved 
directly  toward  us.  Holman  gripped  my  arm  and 
pulled  me  forward  to  the  stone  tables  upon  which 
the  skulls  were  laid,  and  side  by  side  we  crouched 
and  waited. 


164  THE  WHITE  WATERFALL 

It  was  the  ship's  lantern  that  Soma  had  carried 
in  front  of  Leith  that  was  now  moving  upon  us. 
Its  yellow  light  showed  the  parrot-feather  mat  and 
headdress  of  the  big  Kanaka,  while  the  hum  of 
voices,  which  drifted  across  the  vast  space  of  the 
cavern,  informed  us  that  the  dancers  who  had  as 
sisted  at  the  ceremony  were  returning  with  Leith 
and  the  one-eyed  white  man. 

Holman's  breath  came  hot  upon  my  cheek.  There 
was  no  necessity  for  speech.  I  knew  that  he  in 
tended  to  seize  the  first  opportunity  to  attack,  and 
that  opportunity  was  at  hand.  Behind  the  bobbing 
lamp  that  was  approaching  us  by  an  irregular  trail, 
as  if  Soma  was  winding  in  and  out  amidst  stone 
supports  similar  to  the  one  that  sheltered  us,  was 
the  brute  who  held  us  in  his  grip,  and  after  the 
events  we  had  witnessed  it  seemed  impossible  to 
reconcile  his  actions  with  anything  that  smacked 
of  decency  or  honesty. 

I  attempted  to  drop  on  my  knees  at  that  minute, 
but  the  moment  was  disastrous  to  the  ambush  which 
we  had  planned.  As  I  moved  my  hand  forward 
I  dislodged  a  skull  that  was  evidently  resting  upon 
a  shelf  somewhat  higher  than  the  one  before  us. 
With  a  noise  that  appeared  terrific  in  that  place, 
the  object  crashed  down  upon  the  stone,  and  the 
bobbing  lantern  halted  about  fifteen  paces  in  front 
of  us. 


Behind  the  bobbing  lamp  was  the  brute  who  held 
us  in  his  grip." 


TOMBS  OF  SILENCE  165 

Leith  broke  the  silence  that  followed.  "What 
was  that?"  he  asked. 

"A  bat,"  answered  Soma. 

"I  don't  think  so,"  droned  Leith.  "Lift  up  the 
light." 

Soma  raised  the  lantern  high  above  his  head,  and 
as  he  did  so  Holman  fired. 

The  echoes  were  terrific.  High  in  the  vaulted 
roof  of  the  place  echoes  answered  each  other  with 
the  sharp  reports  of  Maxims,  and  the  thick  air 
shivered. 

Leith's  voice  roared  an  order.  "Put  out  the 
light!" 

Soma  immediately  crashed  the  lantern  upon  the 
ground,  and  I  heard  Holman  groan. 

"I  missed  him!"  he  whispered.  "Move  along  a 
little,  Verslun;  they've  got  a  line  on  our  position." 

We  didn't  move  a  minute  too  soon.  Half  a  dozen 
shots  broke  out  from  the  spot  where  the  light  of  the 
lantern  had  been  suddenly  quenched,  and  we  fired 
twice  and  shifted  ground  the  moment  we  pulled  the 
triggers. 

But  the  opposition  guessed  the  direction  of  our 
sidestep.  A  bullet  lifted  my  hat  into  the  darkness, 
and,  as  I  scrambled  away,  a  hand  touched  my  thigh 
and  was  immediately  taken  away. 

I  felt  Holman's  body  on  the  other  side,  and  then, 
clubbing  the  big  Colt,  I  drove  it  down  through  the 


166  THE  WHITE  WATERFALL 

darkness  at  a  point  that  my  imagination  suggested 
would  be  the  most  likely  place  to  find  the  head  of 
the  stranger  whose  hand  touched  my  thigh.  The 
blow  missed,  and  as  I  made  a  kangaroo-like  jump 
sideways,  a  spurt  of  flame  blazed  out  within  a 
yard  of  my  face. 

I  fired  immediately,  and  the  soft  plop  of  a  body 
settling  into  the  dry  dust  upon  the  floor  convinced 
me  that  I  had  settled  one  of  our  enemies. 

For  about  ten  minutes  after  that  there  was  no 
more  firing.  My  skin,  more  than  my  ears,  brought 
to  my  brain  the  information  that  there  were  others 
somewhere  in  the  thick  darkness,  but  the  little  air 
tremors  that  came  to  me  were  so  faint  that  it  was 
impossible  to  tell  in  which  direction  they  were.  I 
had  lost  all  trace  of  Holman.  With  extreme  cau 
tion  I  crawled  toward  what  I  thought  to  be  the  spot 
where  I  had  left  him,  but  my  groping  fingers  found 
only  the  fragments  of  bone  that  covered  the  dusty 
floor  of  the  charnel  house. 

I  sat  in  the  dust  and  endeavoured  to  make  my 
addled  brains  direct  me  as  to  the  best  course  to 
pursue.  The  silence  led  me  to  infer  that  Leith 
and  his  party,  who  were  evidently  familiar  with  the 
cave,  were  making  for  the  passage  by  which  we  had 
entered  the  place,  and  a  cold  chill  passed  over  me 
as  my  imagination  pictured  Leith,  One  Eye,  and  the 
oily  dancers  waiting  for  Holman  and  me  in  the  nar- 


TOMBS  OF  SILENCE  167 

row  corridor.  To  escape  from  the  place  immedi 
ately  was  our  only  chance,  and  with  a  courage  born 
of  terror  conjured  up  by  the  thoughts  of  impris 
onment  in  that  place  of  skulls,  I  started  to  crawl 
rapidly  into  the  dark. 

I  had  not  proceeded  half  a  dozen  yards  when  my 
hand  touched  a  bare  leg,  and  I  drew  back  hastily. 
With  madly  pounding  heart  I  crouched  in  the  dust, 
waiting  for  an  attack,  but  as  I  waited  I  convinced 
myself  that  the  leg  had  not  been  drawn  back  when 
my  fingers  encountered  it.  With  my  right  hand 
clubbing  my  revolver,  I  reached  my  left  out  cau 
tiously,  and  once  again  my  fingers  came  in  contact 
with  the  bare  limb.  The  fear  left  me  at  that  moment. 
I  was  back  at  the  spot  where  I  had  fired  at  an  unseen 
foe  some  fifteen  minutes  before,  and  the  body  near 
me  was  the  victim  of  my  lucky  bullet. 

Carefully  I  felt  the  dead  man.  He  wore  a  large 
feather  cloak  and  a  tall  headdress,  and  I  concluded 
that  he  was  one  of  the  wriggling  brutes  whose  per 
formance  we  had  watched  in  the  cave.  In  the  dust, 
beside  the  body,  my  fingers  found  his  revolver,  and 
the  fact  that  he  had  been  armed  at  the  moment  his 
party  came  unexpectedly  upon  us  was  more  proof, 
if  proof  were  needed,  that  Leith's  tactics  were  any 
thing  but  straightforward. 

Securing  the  revolver,  I  started  to  crawl  away, 
but  a  sudden  inspiration  came  to  me.  I  stripped 


i68 

the  parrot-feather  mat  and  the  headdress  from  the 
corpse  and  donned  them  over  my  own  clothing. 
In  the  darkness  recognition  was  made  through  the 
fingers,  and  as  there  were  eight  enemies  in  the 
cavern  and  only  one  friend,  I  considered  that  the 
danger  I  ran  of  receiving  a  bullet  from  Holman 
was  more  than  counterbalanced  by  the  protection 
that  the  dancer's  costume  would  give  me  if  I 
ran  against  the  groping  hands  of  Leith  or  his 
gang. 

After  a  wearisome  crawl  I  touched  the  wall  of 
the  cavern,  and  standing  upright  I  debated  for  a 
moment  whether  I  should  move  to  the  right  or  the 
left.  I  had  no  definite  idea  as  to  the  position  of 
the  opening  through  which  we  had  entered  the 
place,  and  I  dreaded  the  weary  circuit  of  the  cavern 
which  I  would  be  compelled  to  make  if  I  turned  in 
the  wrong  direction.  It  was  possible  that  the  cor 
ridor  was  within  a  few  yards  of  me,  and  if  I  turned 
away  from  it  I  might  get  lost  in  other  passages 
leading  to  the  long  gallery  where  the  dance  of  death 
had  taken  place. 

I  decided  to  move  to  the  right,  and  with  one  hand 
upon  the  cold  wall  I  stumbled  forward.  If  Holman 
was  still  a  prisoner,  Edith  Herndon  and  her  sister 
were  entirely  unprotected,  and  my  tormenting  im 
agination  made  me  throw  prudence  to  the  winds. 
I  had  to  reach  the  camp  before  Leith  or  any  of  his 


TOMBS  OF  SILENCE  169 

evil  bodyguard  arrived,  and,  becoming  reckless  of 
the  terrors  of  the  dark,  I  ran  blindly  in  my  desperate 
desire  to  find  the  path  into  the  open  air. 

I  cannoned  into  a  man  who  was  standing  with 
his  back  to  the  wall  of  the  cave,  and  before  I  could 
lift  my  arm  his  fingers  had  gripped  my  throat.  For 
a  second  we  struggled,  then  he  released  his  grip 
and  murmured  some  words  in  a  dialect  that  I  did 
not  understand.  His  hand  had  touched  the  parrot- 
feather  mat  that  I  had  drawn  about  my  shoulders, 
and  he  was  convinced  that  I  was  one  of  his  own 
companions. 

Still  holding  my  shoulder  he  pushed  me  a  pace 
or  two  forward,  and  instinctively  I  knew  that  I  was 
in  the  corridor.  The  faintest  tremor  disturbed  the 
heavy  air,  and  a  wild  surge  of  joy  rushed  through 
my  being.  The  place  of  skulls  had  brought  a  terror 
upon  me  that  swept  away  my  reason,  but  the  knowl 
edge  that  I  was  on  the  way  to  the  open,  where  I 
could  fill  my  lungs  with  God's  pure  air,  acted  as  a 
powerful  restorative. 

As  my  guide's  fingers  slipped  from  my  shoulder, 
I  stood  still  and  listened.  His  heavy  breathing  was 
distinctly  audible,  and  with  a  prayer  to  Providence 
to  guide  my  right  hand,  I  brought  the  butt  of  the 
heavy  revolver  down  through  the  darkness.  It  must 
have  caught  him  squarely  upon  the  crown,  for  he 
dropped  without  a  groan. 


I7o  THE  WHITE  WATERFALL 

"Holman!"  I  shrieked.  "Where  are  you,  Hoi- 
man?  The  passage  is  here!  This  way,  quick!" 

A  revolver  cracked  within  two  feet  of  me,  and  the 
bullet  ripped  through  the  tall  headdress.  I  crouched 
quickly  and  ran  along  the  corridor.  There  was  no 
answering  cry  from  Holman,  and  although  it  was 
possible  that  he  would  not  disclose  his  whereabouts 
by  replying  to  my  yell,  I  decided  that  I  could  do 
little  to  help  him  in  the  impenetrable  darkness. 
Besides,  Edith  Herndon  and  her  sister  were  in 
danger,  and  the  dawn  was  coming  rapidly.  Throw 
ing  off  the  parrot-feather  mat,  which  had  served  me 
to  such  good  purpose,  I  raced  headlong  toward 
the  opening.  A  few  bats,  returning  early  to  their 
sleeping  quarters,  banged  against  my  face,  but  the 
way  was  otherwise  clear,  and  with  a  cry  of  joy  I 
rushed  through  the  mouth  of  the  passage  into  the 
calm,  clear  night. 


CHAPTER  XIV 

BACK    TO    THE    CAMP 

THE  path,  with  its  coating  of  coral  lime, 
stretched  before  me,  and  I  fled  along  it. 
The  moon  had  disappeared  behind  the 
hills,  but  the  limed  track  was  quite  distinct.  My 
watch  had  stopped,  but  I  judged  that  there  was 
still  a  good  two  hours  before  the  dawn,  and  I  ran 
as  I  had  never  run  in  my  life.  I  recognized  what 
sort  of  feeling  I  possessed  for  Edith  Herndon  as  I 
raced  through  the  lonely  night,  and  I  reproached 
myself  bitterly  for  leaving  the  camp.  I  became 
convinced  that  Leith  had  set  out  for  the  resting 
place  of  the  Professor  and  his  two  daughters  after 
placing  guards  at  the  inner  opening  of  the  corridor 
to  see  that  Holman  and  I  did  not  escape  from  the 

171 


1 72  THE  WHITE  WATERFALL 

cavern,  and  I  realized  the  terror  which  the  two  girls 
would  experience  when  the  big  brute  reached  the 
camp. 

"The  devil!"  I  muttered.     "The  fiendish  brute!" 

A  chuckle  came  from  a  boulder  beside  the  track, 
and  Holman's  cheery  voice  set  my  pulses  beating. 

"You  frightened  the  dickens  out  of  me,  Verslun," 
he  cried.  "  I  thought  you  were  one  of  the  evil  legion. 
Gee!  I'm  glad  to  see  you." 

"How  did  you  get  out?"  I  gasped  as  we  rushed  on 
together.  "  I  thought  I  left  you  in  the  cavern." 

"It  was  a  good  job  you  didn't,"  he  retorted. 
"There  was  a  husky  nigger  at  the  outside  entrance 
of  the  passage,  and  he  gave  me  the  fight  of  my  life. 
Get  off  this  track;  they  might  be  after  us  at  any 
moment." 

"Do  you  think  that  Leith  has  made  for  the 
camp?"  I  asked. 

"I  suppose  he  has.  We  must  move  as  fast  as 
we  can,  Verslun.  If  he  reaches  there  before  us  we'll 
deserve  any  fate  that  will  come  to  us.  We  shouldn't 
have  left  them." 

The  utterance  of  the  conviction  that  had  come  to 
both  of  us  brought  a  silence,  and  we  rushed  across  the 
boulder-strewn  ground  that  we  had  crossed  earlier  in 
the  night.  We  felt  certain  that  Leith  knew  of  a 
surer  and  safer  path  back  to  the  camp,  but  it  was 
useless  for  us  to  hunt  for  a  new  trail  at  that  moment. 


BACK  TO  THE  CAMP  173 

We  would  have  to  find  our  way  down  the  nearly 
perpendicular  wall  up  which  we  had  climbed  after 
leaving  the  crevice  through  which  we  had  viewed 
the  death  dance,  and,  to  me  at  least,  the  recollections 
of  that  path  brought  feelings  that  were  by  no 
means  pleasant.  ButLeith  was  making  toward  the 
camp,  and  the  horrible  thoughts  aroused  by  the  spec 
tacle  which  we  had  witnessed  in  the  early  night 
muzzled  the  thrills  which  the  dangers  of  the  climb 
sent  through  our  bodies.  The  dance  had  terrified 
the  Fijian  by  arousing  thoughts  of  the  deeds  that 
would  happen  in  its  wake,  and  Kaipi's  terror  became 
a  gauge  for  us  to  measure  its  dread  significance. 

We  reached  the  cliffs  and  ran  up  and  down  the 
ledge  in  a  vain  search  for  the  spot  where  we  had 
clawed  our  way  to  the  top.  Not  that  we  thought 
the  finding  of  the  place  would  solve  the  problem  of 
the  descent.  It  was  hard  to  conceive  of  a  more 
difficult  way  than  the  one  by  which  we  had  come, 
and  as  if  he  had  suddenly  come  to  the  conclusion 
that  any  other  path  would  be  preferable,  Holman 
dropped  upon  his  knees  and  lowered  himself  upon  a 
ledge  that  was  immediately  below. 

"Come  on,  Verslun!"  he  cried,  in  a  choked  voice 
that  was  altogether  different  from  his  cheery  tones. 
"If  there  is  no  path  we  must  roll  down.  There's 
the  first  flush  of  the  dawn!" 

I  looked  toward  the  east  and  groaned.     The  faint 


i74  THE  WHITE  WATERFALL 

grayish  tint  unnerved  me.  Although  it  was  possible 
that  Leith  had  already  reached  the  camp,  still  we 
had  promised  the  two  girls  that  we  would  return 
by  daylight,  and  although  we  had  a  hazy  notion  as 
to  what  we  would  do  when  we  did  reach  their  side, 
the  longing  to  get  there  made  us  oblivious  of  danger. 
I  swung  down  on  to  the  crumbling  foothold  that 
supported  Holman,  and  breathlessly  we  began  to 
scramble  toward  the  valley. 

It  was  a  mad  climb.  Holman  exhibited  a  temerity 
that  bordered  on  insanity.  With  reckless  daring 
he  scrambled  down  upon  dangerous  niches  that  jut 
ted  out  upon  the  face  of  the  cliff,  and  my  repeated 
warnings  fell  upon  deaf  ears.  A  task  that  would 
have  appeared  impossible  when  viewed  in  daylight, 
lost  half  of  its  terrors  because  we  only  vaguely  ap 
prehended  the  dangers  that  threatened  us  when  a 
layer  of  shale  crumbled  beneath  our  feet.  Our 
descent  became  a  wild  toboggan.  Slipping  and 
sliding,  clutching  wildly  at  every  little  projection 
that  would  decrease  the  speed  at  which  we  were 
travelling,  we  rolled  with  bruised  and  bleeding 
bodies  on  to  a  small  platform,  and  lay  half  stunned 
for  a  moment,  as  a  thousand  pieces  of  rock,  dislodged 
by  our  bodies,  bounced  past  us  into  the  valley. 

Holman  picked  himself  up  and  looked  around. 
The  pink  flush  had  deepened  in  the  east,  and  nearby 
objects  were  discernible. 


BACK  TO  THE  CAMP  175 

"By  all  the  gods!  we  are  back  on  the  ledge  near 
the  crevice!"  he  cried.  "Come  along  and  we'll  hunt 
for  Kaipi." 

It  was  wonderful  how  we  had  pulled  up  in  our 
slide  near  the  place  where  we  had  witnessed  the  per 
formance  that  prompted  us  to  make  the  ascent. 
But  there  was  no  mistake  about  the  spot.  As  we 
crawled  along  the  platform  we  found  that  we  had 
landed  not  more  than  twenty  feet  from  the  crevice 
through  which  we  had  witnessed  the  bloodcurdling 
"tivo,"  and  we  hurried  toward  the  spot  where  we 
had  left  the  Fijian,  whose  nerves  had  been  upset 
by  the  glimpse  he  had  had  of  the  strange  antics  of 
the  dancers. 

But  Kaipi  was  not  at  the  spot  where  we  had  left 
him.  Whether  his  fears  had  increased  to  such  an 
extent  that  they  had  forced  him  to  leave  the  place, 
or  whether  he  had  come  to  the  conclusion  that  we 
had  returned  to  the  camp  by  some  other  route,  we 
could  not  determine;  so  wasting  no  time  on  useless 
conjecture  we  hurried  toward  the  big  maupei  tree 
up  which  we  had  climbed  to  reach  the  ledge. 

But  Holman's  hurry  proved  disastrous.  He  had 
escaped  the  dangers  of  the  cliff  descent  to  meet  an 
accident  when  he  had  sufficient  light  to  see  what  he 
was  about.  In  reaching  for  the  limb  of  the  tree 
that  threshed  against  the  cliff,  he  lost  his  footing, 
and  before  I  could  grip  him  he  went  crashing 


176  THE  WHITE  WATERFALL 

through  the  foliage  to  the  ground,  some  fifty  feet 
below! 

I  thought  that  I  was  an  hour  descending  that  tree, 
but  I  could  not  have  been  more  than  three  minutes 
if  my  skinned  legs  could  be  relied  upon  as  evidence 
of  speed.  I  found  Holman  in  a  thorny  tangle,  and 
as  I  dragged  him  into  the  open  he  groaned  loudly 
and  endeavoured  to  get  upon  his  feet. 

"Are  you  hurt?"  I  questioned. 

" No,  no ! "  he  cried.  "I'm  not  hurt,  Verslun.  Get 
me  on  my  feet,  man.  Quick!  For  the  love  of  God, 
quick!" 

I  gripped  his  shoulders  and  he  managed  to  stand 
upright.  The  dawn  came  with  tropic  suddenness  at 
that  moment,  and  I  saw  that  he  was  bleeding  from 
a  nasty  wound  above  the  right  temple,  while  he 
limped  painfully  as  I  helped  him  across  a  small 
cleared  patch  near  the  tree. 

"I've  hurt  my  leg,"  he  cried,  "but  I'm  going  to 
get  to  the  camp.  If  I  fall,  Verslun,  I  want  you  to 
lend  me  a  hand.  Promise  to  help  me,  will  you? 
She  —  Miss  Barbara,  you  know,  old  man.  She  is 
everything  to  me.  Give  me  a  hand  if  I  tumble  down." 

"I  promise,"  I  answered,  and  he  wrung  my  hand 
as  we  started  off  through  the  clawing,  scratching 
vines  that  tripped  us  up  as  we  tried  to  fight  our 
way  forward. 

If  we  had  thought  on  the  night  before  that  the 


BACK  TO  THE  CAMP  177 

quarter  mile  of  country  that  lay  between  the  camp 
and  the  rocky  wall  was  a  difficult  stretch  to  negotiate, 
we  were  more  than  doubly  certain  of  its  impenetrable 
character  now  that  daylight  had  come.  How  we 
had  ever  managed  to  get  through  it  in  the  darkness 
was  a  mystery  that  we  tried  to  solve  as  we  attempted 
to  make  our  way  back.  The  place  was  a  mad  riot 
of  thorny  undergrowth,  laced  and  bound  with  vines 
that  were  as  strong  as  wire  hawsers.  The  lianas 
appeared  human  to  us;  they  lassoed  our  legs  and 
flung  us  sprawling  upon  our  faces  whenever  we 
tried  to  quicken  our  speed.  Thorns  of  a  strange 
fishhook  variety  drove  their  barbed  points  into  us, 
and  each  yard  of  the  tortuous  path  that  we  cut 
through  the  devilish  vines  was  marked  by  a  scrap 
of  our  clothing,  which  the  tormenting  thorns  seemed 
to  wave  aloft  as  an  emblem  of  victory. 

"He'll  beat  us!"  gasped  Holman.  "I'm  all  in, 
Verslun;  that  fall  has  finished  me." 

"Keep  at  it!"  I  said.  "We  must  be  near  the 
camp  by  now." 

"We've  walked  three  miles,"  muttered  Holman. 
"We've  lost  our  way." 

"No,  we  haven't!"  I  cried.  "We've  struck  a 
bad  patch,  but  we'll  get  there  soon." 

The  youngster  clenched  his  teeth  and  endeavoured 
to  forget  the  agony  of  his  leg,  but  the  effort  taxed 
his  courage. 


178  THE  WHITE  WATERFALL 

"We'll  do  it,"  I  said.  "Don't  let  the  brute  beat 
us." 

"I  —  I  won't!"  he  stammered.  "If  it  was  any 
thing  but  my  leg!  Verslun!" 

He  fell  on  his  face,  and  I  helped  him  up,  but  once 
again  he  collapsed.  The  injured  limb  made  it  im 
possible  for  him  to  stand  or  even  crawl. 

"You  get  ahead,"  he  cried  hoarsely.  "Leave  me, 
Verslun!  Leave  me  here!" 

"But  I'd  never  find  you  again,"  I  protested. 

"Yes,  you  would!  I'll  crawl  out  after  a  few  hours' 
rest.  Run  to  the  camp,  and  shoot  —  shoot  the  devil 
the  moment  you  put  your  eyes  on  him!" 

I  took  a  quick  glance  at  the  matted  walls  of  the 
green  creepers  that  hedged  us  in  on  all  sides.  Hoi- 
man  was  in  the  last  stages  of  exhaustion,  and  I 
reasoned  quickly.  If  I  left  him  in  the  middle  of 
the  thorny  tangle  that  encompassed  us,  it  would 
be  utterly  impossible  for  me  to  find  him  again,  and 
he  would  probably  perish  from  thirst.  If  I  rushed 
away  I  would  be  leaving  him  to  certain  death,  and 
although  our  prospects  of  leaving  the  island  alive 
did  not  look  too  bright  at  that  moment,  I  considered 
that  I  would  be  making  his  demise  a  certainty  by 
leaving  him  in  the  maze. 

I  stopped,  gripped  him  round  the  waist,  and  witli 
a  great  effort  managed  to  lift  him  upon  my  shoulder. 
Holman's  actions  did  not  help  me  as  I  struggle^ 


BACK  TO  THE  CAMP  179 

beneath  him.  He  kicked  like  a  madman  when  he 
understood  what  I  intended  to  do,  but  I  held  him 
in  spite  of  his  protests. 

"Leave  me  here!"  he  screamed.  "Go  ahead  by 
yourself,  Verslun!  What's  the  use  of  taking  me?" 

"You're  coming,  so  you  can  stop  kicking,"  I  mut 
tered.  "Take  your  fingers  out  of  my  eyes." 

But  Holman's  struggles  ceased  then,  and  his  head 
fell  backward.  The  pain  of  his  leg  had  made  the 
plucky  youngster  swoon  away,  and  with  a  prayer 
upon  my  lips  I  sprang  again  at  the  bulwark  of  vicious 
creepers. 

I  have  a  very  vague  recollection  of  the  remainder 
of  that  trip.  In  my  subconscious  mind  I  have  mem 
ories  of  an  insane  struggle  with  a  jungle  that  was 
alive,  of  a  fight  with  thorny  creepers  that  pursued 
us.  I  became  convinced  that  those  vines  were 
alive,  because  the  same  thorns  that  we  had  passed 
hours  before  rose  up  again  in  our  path  and  waved 
the  scraps  of  bloody  clothing  that  they  had  torn 
from  Holman  and  myself. 

At  last,  half  insane  with  anxiety  for  the  safety 
of  the  girls  and  our  own  struggles,  we  staggered 
blindly  into  the  patch  of  cleared  land  upon  which 
the  camp  had  been  pitched  on  the  previous  evening. 
It  was  impossible  to  mistake  the  site.  The  embers 
of  the  big  fire  were  still  smoking  and  we  stared  with 
sweat-blinded  eyes  at  the  place  where  the  girls' 


i8o  THE  WHITE  WATERFALL 

tent  had  been  standing  when  we  rushed  off  with 
Kaipi  to  investigate  the  light  in  the  hills.  But 
there  was  no  trace  of  the  girls  or  the  Professor. 
Leith  had  got  ahead  of  us,  and  the  big  brute  had 
rushed  the  crazy  scientist  and  his  two  daughters 
toward  the  hills  that  stood  up  black  and  defiant 
above  the  sea  of  green  vegetation. 


CHAPTER  XV 

A  DAY  OF  SKIRMISHING 

WE  LAY  for  a  few  moments  upon  the  soft 
grass,  then  Holman  crawled  on  hand  and 
knees  to  the  little  spring  of  cold  water  and 
bathed  the  wound  upon  his  temple  and  his  injured 
leg.     The  water  revived  him,  and  after  a  brief  rest 
he  got  to  his  feet  and  stared  at  the  festooned  trees 
that  surrounded  the  spot. 

"  I'm  ready,  Verslun,"  he  muttered.  "Which  way 
did  they  go?" 

I  pointed  to  the  marks  made  in  the  soft  ground 
by  the  shoes  of  the  two  girls,  and  Holman  limped 
forward. 

"But  we  can't  follow  this  fashion,"  I  protested. 
"Why  not?" 


182  THE  WHITE  WATERFALL 

"We'll  be  shot  down  before  we  get  within  half  a 
mile  of  them.  Leith  cannot  know  that  we  have 
escaped  from  the  cavern  or  he  would  have  left  some 
one  here  to  interview  us." 

"Well,  we  can't  do  any  high-class  tracking  in 
this  country,"  said  the  youngster  grimly.  "If  we 
stray  six  feet  from  the  trail  we  are  lost.  We  had 
better  trust  to  fortune  and  go  ahead." 

It  was  impossible  to  do  anything  else.  The  route 
by  which  the  carriers  had  marched  from  the  camp 
ing  ground  was  perfectly  clear  while  we  followed 
their  footsteps,  but  if  we  diverged  ever  so  slightly 
the  thick  veils  of  verdure  hid  the  path  from  our  eyes. 
To  follow  the  party  we  would  have  to  hold  to  the 
trail  and  take  the  chances  of  an  ambush  which  Leith 
would  certainly  prepare  for  us  the  moment  he  knew 
we  had  escaped  from  the  Cavern  of  Skulls.  It 
would  be  easy  for  him  to  set  his  one-eyed  white  part 
ner  to  shoot  us  down  as  we  staggered  along  the 
trail  which  Soma  or  one  of  the  carriers  had  blazed 
with  an  axe. 

"They  cannot  have  more  than  three  hours'  start 
of  us,"  cried  Holman.  "Give  me  your  arm,  Verslun. 
Now  let  us  move  as  fast  as  we  can." 

"But  this  is  puerile,"  I  protested.  "We'll  be 
running  our  heads  into  the  noose." 

"  I  don't  care  if  we  do.     I  want  to  get  near  Leith." 

"But  we'll  never  get  near  by  running  after  him 


A  DAY  OF  SKIRMISHING  183 

in  this  fashion.  If  we  could  find  some  way  to  get 
in  front  of  him  and  wait." 

"But  what  will  happen  to  the  girls?" 

"Will  our  death  prevent  it?"  I  snapped.  "If 
we  rush  after  him  in  the  open  we'll  throw  our  chances 
away." 

I  am  a  sailor,  absolutely  ignorant  of  jungle  knowl 
edge,  but  I  had  sense  enough  to  know  that  Leith 
would  not  leave  his  rear  exposed  for  a  moment 
after  he  had  received  word  from  the  cave.  I  tried  to 
recall  stories  of  extraordinary  trailing  feats  as  we 
stumbled  forward,  but  I  became  convinced  that  all 
the  marvellous  performances  I  had  ever  read  of  had 
been  accomplished  under  conditions  that  were  al 
together  different  from  those  that  confronted  us 
upon  the  Isle  of  Tears.  An  open  piece  of  country 
would  have  been  a  sight  of  joy  to  our  eyes  that  were 
weary  of  the  everlasting  mesh  of  green  which  en 
compassed  us  like  the  tentacles  of  a  malignant  fate. 
The  green,  sweaty  leaves,  the  fat,  bloated  pods, 
and  the  lengths  of  pythonesque  runners  produced 
a  mental  nausea.  The  vegetation  appeared  to  us 
to  be  vicious.  Its  very  luxuriance  produced  that 
fear  of  the  wild  which  grips  one  in  tropical  coun 
tries  but  which  is  never  felt  in  lands  situated  in 
the  temperate  zones. 

We  had  not  covered  a  hundred  yards  of  the  path 
when  Holman  pounced  upon  a  strip  of  white  bark 


184  THE  WHITE  WATERFALL 

that  waved  to  us  from  the  thorn  of  a  lawyer-vine 
crossing  the  track.  A  few  pencilled  words  covered 
the  smooth  side  of  the  strip,  and  we  absorbed  them 
in  a  single  glance. 

"  'We're  prisoners  now,'  muttered  Holman,  read 
ing  the  few  words  in  a  whisper.  'The  brute  has 
declared  himself.  Barbara.' 

The  boy  turned  to  me,  his  face  all  blood-smeared 
and  haggard,  and  for  a  moment  we  stared  at  the 
strip  of  bark.  There  had  been  no  doubt  in  our 
minds  concerning  Leith's  intentions  from  the  time 
that  Kaipi  brought  us  the  message  which  Soma 
had  dropped,  but  the  knowledge  that  the  brute 
had  declared  himself  to  the  Professor  and  the  two 
girls  brought  us  a  most  horrible  feeling.  In  my 
own  case  I  had  never  experienced  such  a  sensation. 
The  strange  rites  connected  with  the  "tivo"  in  the 
long  cave  had  laid  a  foundation  upon  which  my 
imagination  piled  skyscrapers  of  horror.  If  I  could 
have  fixed  my  mind  upon  a  definite  fate  that  would 
be  theirs  if  they  were  not  rescued  from  the  big  brute's 
clutches,  I  would  have  found  relief,  but  my  inability 
to  do  that  left  me  a  victim  to  thoughts  that  were 
enough  to  deprive  one  of  his  reason.  We  looked 
upon  the  island  as  the  ceremonial  place  for  rites 
that  were  stamped  out  in  the  groups  where  the 
missionary  had  pushed  himself,  and  the  message  from 
Barbara  Herndon  became  a  mental  piledriver  to 


A  DAY  OF  SKIRMISHING  185 

ram  home  a  thousand  doubts  that  had  obtained  a 
footing  in  our  minds. 

"Come  on!"  cried  Holman.  "If  we  don't  catch 
up  with  him  I'll  go  mad!" 

He  turned  to  hurry  along  the  narrow  path,  but 
out  of  the  silence  behind  us  came  a  shout  that 
caused  us  to  dive  promptly  into  the  bushes.  The 
whoop  came  from  the  direction  of  the  camping 
ground,  and  we  had  hardly  crouched  in  the  under 
growth  when  a  nude  native  crashed  through  the 
vines  and  raced  past  our  hiding  place.  He  was 
followed  by  two  more,  the  three  running  at  top  speed, 
heads  forward,  and  their  chests  heaving  in  a  manner 
that  suggested  they  had  come  some  distance. 

In  the  glimpse  we  caught  of  them  as  they  dashed 
past  we  came  to  the  conclusion  that  they  were 
three  of  the  "tivo"  dancers,  and  as  we  watched 
their  bare  brown  backs  disappear  in  the  creepers 
we  observed  something  which  our  position  on  the 
previous  evening  had  prevented  us  from  seeing.  The 
backs  of  the  three  were  tattooed,  not  with  the  com 
mon  line  tattooing,  but  with  short  scars  that  ran 
down  the  spine,  making  a  ridged  representation  of 
a  centipede,  and  as  they  passed  I  remembered  that 
the  Professor,  when  taking  a  photograph  of  the 
stone  table  on  the  previous  morning,  had  commented 
on  the  same  peculiar  pattern  which  he  had  dis 
covered  upon  one  of  the  huge  supporting  pillars. 


i86  THE  WHITE  WATERFALL 

"They've  come  to  tell  Leith  that  we  have  es 
caped,"  whispered  Holman. 

"And  they'll  be  on  our  trail  the  moment  they  give 
him  the  news." 

"All  right,  we'll  be  ready  for  them.  How  much 
ammunition  have  you? 

"Three  cartridges,"  I  replied. 

"And  I  have  four.  We  must  make  those  seven  — 
look  out!  There's  another  beggar  coming!" 

We  dropped  quickly  out  of  sight  and  peered 
through  the  leaves.  Holman  was  right.  Some  one 
else  was  coming  along  the  path,  but  the  newcomer 
was  exercising  much  more  prudence  than  the  three 
dancers.  Judging  by  the  little  intervals  of  silence 
that  followed  the  slight  noises  made  by  the  breaking 
of  twigs,  he  was  investigating  each  yard  of  the  way. 

A  woolly  head  at  last  appeared  through  the  net 
work,  and  our  nerves  relaxed  at  the  big  brown  eyes 
that  rolled  fearfully.  The  timorous  stranger  was 
Kaipi! 

The  Fijian  was  shaking  with  fear  when  we  dragged 
him  into  the  bushes.  In  halting  words  he  told  the 
story  of  his  experiences  of  the  night,  and  Holman 
and  I  listened.  Kaipi  had  waited  upon  the  ledge  till 
a  few  hours  before  the  dawn,  and  then  he  had  made 
for  the  camp.  With  much  better  luck  than  we  had 
struck,  he  reached  there  before  daylight,  but  fearful 
of  the  happenings  which  would  follow  in  the  wake 


A  DAY  OF  SKIRMISHING  187 

of  the  devil  dance,  he  had  taken  up  a  post  of  observa 
tion  in  a  neighbouring  tree  and  awaited  events. 

Leith,  according  to  the  Fijian,  had  arrived  at 
dawn,  accompanied  by  Soma  and  the  one-eyed 
white  man,  and  the  big  brute  had  immediately 
interviewed  the  Professor.  Kaipi's  actions,  as  he 
mimicked  the  elderly  scientist,  convinced  us  that  the 
interview  was  not  pleasant  to  the  archaeologist,  and 
it  was  evident  that  it  was  at  that  moment  Leith  had 
declared  himself  as  Barbara  Herndon  stated  in  her 
note. 

"He  kick  up  plentee  big  row,"  explained  Kaipi. 
"He  kick  porter  men  an'  make  damn  big  noise  out 
side  missee  tent.  They  come  out  speakee  him,  he 
slap  big  missee  in  face,  drive  'em  off." 

Holman  was  crashing  through  the  bushes  before 
Kaipi  had  finished  his  recital,  and  I  followed  him, 
with  the  excited  Fijian  bringing  up  the  rear.  Leith 
was  rushing  the  Professor  and  his  daughters  toward 
the  black  hills  and  we  had  to  do  something  im 
mediately. 

For  over  an  hour  we  stumbled  along  the  track, 
making  no  effort  to  keep  under  cover  in  case  Leith 
should  have  prepared  an  ambush.  It  was  useless 
to  argue  with  Holman,  and  my  own  feelings  were 
such  that  I  preferred  to  take  the  risks  of  the  route 
which  Soma's  axe  had  cut,  to  the  delays  which  the 
task  of  forcing  our  own  passage  through  the  laby- 


i88  THE  WHITE  WATERFALL 

rinth  would  bring  upon  us.  Prudence  was  thrust 
into  the  background  by  the  intense  hate  we  enter 
tained  for  the  devil  who  had  entrapped  us. 

It  was  near  midday  when  our  pursuit  met  with 
an  interruption.  A  revolver  cracked  in  a  clump  of 
wild  ginger  directly  in  front,  and  we  took  cover 
immediately.  The  bullet  had  whizzed  close  to  Hoi- 
man's  head,  and  as  we  lay  panting  in  the  ribbon- 
grass  we  congratulated  ourselves  on  the  fact  that 
we  had  been  met  with  a  single  shot  instead  of  a 
volley.  We  had  taken  a  big  chance  and  had  come 
off  lucky.  It  was  impossible  for  Leith's  party  to 
be  very  far  ahead,  and  as  we  watched  the  ginger 
clump  we  wondered  how  we  could  circumvent  the 
sharpshooter. 

After  about  five  minutes  of  absolute  quiet  Kaipi 
turned  his  head  and  pointed  to  the  rear,  and  Hoi- 
man  and  I  listened  intently.  The  Fijian's  sharper 
ears  had  detected  slight  sounds  behind  us,  and  as 
we  strained  the  silence  we  came  to  the  conclusion 
that  the  enemy  had  stealthily  worked  their  way 
around  us,  and  were  now  creeping  like  snakes 
through  the  maze  with  the  hope  that  they  would 
take  us  unawares. 

We  started  to  worm  our  way  to  the  right,  and 
our  hatred  of  the  infernal  island,  where  we  were 
reduced  to  the  condition  of  burrowing  moles,  in 
creased.  Our  eyes  were  practically  useless.  We 


A  DAY  OF  SKIRMISHING  189 

had  to  depend  upon  hearing  alone,  and  when  a 
white  man  pits  his  ears  against  those  of  a  native 
he  finds  that  he  has  been  suffering  from  partial 
deafness  without  being  aware  of  the  fact.  A  dozen 
times  we  shifted  ground  on  a  signal  from  Kaipi, 
whose  head  was  continually  to  the  earth,  and  that 
game  of  hide  and  seek  drove  us  frantic.  Leith  was 
hurrying  toward  the  hills  while  we  were  crawling 
backward  and  forward  through  the  undergrowth 
to  escape  a  few  natives  who  pursued  their  tactics 
with  a  persistency  that  was  maddening.  The  fact 
that  the  pursuers  had  the  advantage  put  a  raw 
edge  upon  our  tempers,  and  after  an  hour  spent 
upon  hands  and  knees  Holman  resolutely  refused 
to  shift  his  ground  in  response  to  Kaipi's  signals. 
I  was  just  as  tired  of  the  wormlike  attitude  that  we 
were  compelled  to  adopt,  and  I  waited  beside  Hol 
man  while  the  Fijian  slipped  away  through  the 
creepers  after  warning  us  by  many  eloquent  signals 
that  one  of  the  search  party  was  creeping  toward  us. 

Holman  had  a  "  let-'em-all-come  "  expression  upon 
his  face  that  would  have  been  amusing  at  any  other 
time,  and  kneeling  with  our  backs  to  each  other  we 
endeavoured  to  peer  through  the  leafage  to  get  a 
glimpse  of  the  foe. 

We  remained  like  that  for  about  ten  minutes;  then 
our  attention  was  attracted  to  a  point  about  eighteen 
inches  to  the  right.  The  dry  leaves  were  pushed 


igo  THE  WHITE  WATERFALL 

quietly  aside,  but  instead  of  a  head  appearing,  as 
we  expected,  a  bare  brown  leg  was  thrust  through 
the  creepers  and  remained  stationary. 

The  leg  fascinated  us.  Kaipi  had  moved  in  the 
opposite  direction,  and  we  were  certain  that  the 
limb  belonged  to  one  of  our  enemies.  The  naked 
savage  was  worming  his  way  upon  his  stomach,  and 
the  position  immediately  brought  to  our  minds  a 
picture  of  the  scene  in  the  long  gallery.  When  it 
came  to  a  game  of  this  sort  we  would  be  hopelessly 
outclassed  by  a  batch  that,  through  assiduous  train 
ing,  slipped  along  with  the  ease  of  serpents. 

Holman  held  his  revolver  in  readiness  and  watched 
the  leg.  It  was  difficult  to  judge  the  position  of  the 
native's  body,  and  the  scarcity  of  ammunition  made 
us  hesitate  before  firing  a  shot.  The  leg  was  pushed 
farther  out  of  the  leafy  tangle,  and  as  it  came  toward 
him  a  change  passed  over  Holman's  face.  He  handed 
his  revolver  to  me,  crouched  on  his  thighs  and  sprang! 

There  was  something  primitive  about  the  action, 
something  which  caused  my  heart  to  throb  as  I 
watched  him  take  the  pantherlike  spring.  On  the 
previous  evening  the  youngster  had  expressed  a 
desire  to  throttle  Leith,  and  the  same  desire  had 
gripped  him  when  he  watched  the  leg  come  through 
the  vines.  The  devilishness  of  the  batch  made 
shooting  a  tame  way  of  obtaining  revenge,  and  I 
possessed  the  same  itchiness  of  the  fingers  which  had 


A  DAY  OF  SKIRMISHING  191 

prompted  Holman  to  take  the  wild  leap.  There  was 
a  joy  in  throttling  such  a  brute,  and  I  delighted  in 
the  grit  of  the  boy. 

The  affair  was  dramatic  in  its  swift  and  silent 
ending.  The  native,  taken  entirely  unawares,  had 
no  chance  against  the  angry  antagonist  who  had 
landed  upon  his  back.  A  faint  gurgle  proved  to  me 
that  Holman's  fingers  had  found  the  neck  of  the 
other,  and  in  an  incredible  short  time  the  struggle 
was  over. 

We  parted  the  bushes  and  examined  the  body.  It 
was  one  of  the  three  nude  natives  that  had  rushed 
by  us  on  the  trail  a  few  hours  before,  and  he  clasped 
in  his  right  hand  a  long  knife  of  New  Zealand  green 
stone  that  had  been  inlaid  with  gold  in  an  intricate 
design.  We  had  never  seen  such  a  weapon.  The 
crude  knives  that  I  had  seen  throughout  the  islands 
were  not  to  be  compared  to  the  wonderfully  polished 
blade  that  had  been  intended  to  free  either  Holman 
or  myself  from  all  earthly  cares,  while  the  metalwork 
showed  a  craftmanship  that  made  one  wonder  how 
many  centuries  had  elapsed  since  the  Polynesian 
artist  who  had  fashioned  the  weapon  had  been  laid 
in  the  Cavern  of  Skulls.  The  sinnet  work  and  the 
parquetry  of  split  bamboo,  which  comprise  the  high 
est  handicraft  of  the  present-day  islander,  could 
hardly  be  classed  with  the  exceedingly  beautiful  work 
upon  the  blade. 


i92  THE  WHITE  WATERFALL 

Holman  turned  up  the  end  of  the  haft,  pointed  to 
a  delicate  design  of  a  centipede,  and  then  looked 
down  at  the  back  of  the  savage  upon  the  ground. 
The  similarity  of  the  two  designs  was  immediately 
apparent,  but  while  the  one  on  the  greenstone  had 
been  executed  by  an  artist,  the  figure  upon  the  back 
of  the  dancer  was  a  crude  example  of  scar-tattooing 
that  required  some  imagination  to  puzzle  out  what 
object  it  was  supposed  to  represent.  As  we  glanced 
at  each  other  the  significance  of  the  serpentlike  dance, 
the  marks  upon  the  bodies  of  the  dancers  and  on  the 
knife  and  stone  table,  was  plainly  evident.  The 
island  was  sacred  to  the  centipede,  and  in  some  way 
Leith  had  made  himself  a  chief  wizard  amongst  the 
few  savages  who  still  performed  the  rites  which  had 
once  made  the  Isle  of  Tears  a  place  of  particular 
importance  to  the  surrounding  groups. 

Holman  took  the  long  greenstone  knife,  and  we 
crept  quietly  away  in  the  direction  taken  by  Kaipi. 
We  had  one  enemy  less  upon  the  island.  Not  count 
ing  the  carriers,  we  reckoned  that  the  active  opposi 
tion  comprised  Leith,  Soma,  the  one-eyed  white  man, 
and  either  two  or  three  of  the  "tivo"  dancers,  and 
these  made  a  formidable  batch.  The  dancers  were 
huge  natives,  possessing  all  the  characteristics  of  the 
Tongans,  while  Leith,  Soma,  and  the  one-eyed  white 
man  possessed  more  than  ordinary  strength. 

"We  must  try  to  find  the  path,"  whispered  Hoi- 


A  DAY  OF  SKIRMISHING  193 

man.  "This  delay  will  give  Leith  a  chance  to  get 
to  the  hills." 

But  the  finding  of  the  path  was  no  easy  matter. 
So  that  we  would  be  well  out  of  the  sphere  of  the 
companions  of  the  man  who  carried  the  greenstone 
blade,  we  worked  our  way  for  about  one  hundred 
yards  through  the  leafy  maze  before  attempting  to 
search  for  it,  and  that  search  proved  a  long  and  tire 
some  one.  It  is  impossible  to  describe  the  network 
of  wanton  vegetation  through  which  we  struggled 
during  the  hot  afternoon.  Every  kind  of  shrub  and 
tree  was  woven  into  an  ungodly  tangle  by  the  crawl 
ing,  leaping  vines  that  shut  out  the  sky  and  made  it 
impossible  to  see  a  person  standing  only  a  few  feet 
away. 

We  stayed  our  appetites  with  wild  guavas  and 
yams,  and  moved  slowly  forward  in  the  direction 
that  we  surmised  that  Leith  was  moving  in.  Our 
inability  to  find  the  path  left  us  the  only  alternative 
of  pushing  on  toward  the  hills  in  the  hope  that  we 
would  intercept  the  party  before  it  reached  the 
caverns  which  made  the  basalt  cliffs  a  secure  hiding 
place.  Once  the  arch  villain  reached  the  caves  it 
would  be  a  difficult  matter  to  locate  him,  and  we 
damned  the  crazy  brain  of  the  Professor  as  we 
thought  of  the  lonely  position  of  the  Isle  of  Tears.  If 
the  captain  of  The  Waif  was  in  league  with  Leith  it 
would  be  absolutely  impossible  to  obtain  help  to 


i94  THE  WHITE  WATERFALL 

rescue  tne  girls  and  their  father,  and  we  would  be 
marooned  upon  the  island  for  an  indefinite  period. 

It  was  within  a  few  minutes  of  sunset  when  our 
despondency  was  suddenly  swept  away.  The  silence 
of  the  jungle  was  disturbed  by  a  shrill  voice  that 
protested  loudly  against  something  which  the  owner 
was  called  upon  to  do,  and  our  hearts  punched  our 
ribs  with  mighty  blows  as  we  crawled  forward.  The 
voice  belonged  to  Professor  Clinton  Herndon  of 
California. 


CHAPTER  XVI 

THE    STONE   TABLE 

OUR  feelings  can  hardly  be  described  as  we 
crept  closer  to  the  spot  from  which  the 
scientist's  angry  protest  had  gone  up 
through  the  silence  like  a  thin  wire.  The  loneliness 
of  that  day  had  been  appalling.  I  know  that  Edith 
Herndon's  quiet  face  was  continually  before  my 
mental  vision,  while  Holman's  actions  convinced 
me  that  he  was  suffering  acutely.  If  we  were 
certain  that  Leith  intended  to  do  no  wrong  to  the 
party,  the  fact  that  he  was  within  speaking  dis 
tance  of  the  two  girls  was  particularly  distressing 
after  the  knowledge  we  had  gained  in  the  night. 
With  extreme  caution  we  wormed  our  way  forward, 
the  Professor's  piping  voice  acting  as  a  verbal  sign 
post  in  helping  us  to  locate  the  spot  where  he  was 
engaged  in  holding  the  argument.  We  were  close 
enough  to  hear  his  words,  and  our  nerves  were  on 
the  highest  tension  as  he  shrieked  a  defiance  against 

195 


196  THE  WHITE  WATERFALL 

some  person  near.  We  had  only  one  thought  as  to 
who  that  person  could  be.  The  Professor  was 
piling  charges  of  treachery  upon  the  head  of  a 
listener,  and  there  was  only  one  head  on  the  Isle 
of  Tears  that  contained  enough  villainy  to  make 
the  charges  possible! 

"I  will  not  sign  the  papers!"  cried  the  scientist. 
"I  want  my  liberty,  sir!  You  are  a  scoundrel! 
Where  are  my  daughters?" 

Holman,  creeping  a  few  inches  in  front,  had 
drawn  his  revolver.  The  blood  pounded  madly 
through  my  brain.  We  were  within  a  few  yards  of 
Leith,  and  even  as  we  moved  snakily  forward,  the 
heavy  bass  voice  of  the  scoundrel  came  to  our  ears. 

"You  stupid  old  fool!"  he  growled.  "You  can 
demand  all  day  and  all  night  if  it  does  you  any  good. 
Do  you  know  who  I  am?" 

"I  know  you  are  a  ruffian!"  snapped  the  Pro 
fessor.  "I  know  you  are  a  rogue  who  has  no 
respect  for  his  word  and  honour.  I  know  you  are  a 
coward  who  insults  women!" 

"Go  on,"  mocked  Leith. 

"I've  been  a  fool!"  cried  the  old  man.  "I  was 
blinded  to  everything  through  my  love  of  science. 
Now  I  know  that  you  lied.  I  know  you  brought 
me  here  to  rob  me  and  insult  my  daughters. " 

The  sun  had  set,  and  the  twilight  made  it  difficult 
for  us  to  locate  the  two  men.  But  we  were  close. 


THE  STONE  TABLE  197 

When  Leith  spoke  again,  his  voice  sounded  so 
near  that  I  started  involuntarily,  while  Holman, 
resting  upon  one  hand,  parted  the  branches  with 
the  barrel  of  the  revolver  which  he  gripped  in  the 
other. 

"But  you  will  admit  when  all  is  over  that  I 
have  shown  you  some  wonderful  things,"  sneered 
Leith. 

The  Professor  was  silent  a  moment,  as  if  endeav 
ouring  to  fathom  the  meaning  of  the  words,  and  we 
moved  a  few  inches  closer  in  the  little  interval. 

"How?"  asked  the  scientist. 

Holman's  hand  that  gripped  the  revolver  remained 
motionless.  Through  a  rift  in  the  leafy  curtain  I 
caught  a  glimpse  of  a  bulk  that  was  within  a  yard 
of  our  hiding  place,  and  I  knew  that  the  youngster 
was  waiting  for  the  brute  to  speak  to  make  certain 
that  he  was  covering  the  right  man.  The  silence 
was  nerve-destroying. 

"Why,"  said  Leith,  speaking  slowly  and  dis 
tinctly,  "you  are  in  the  hands  of  the  Wizards  of  the 
Centipede.  I  am  their  head,  and  if  you  are  not 
extremely  lucky  you  will  make  a  sacrifice  to  — 

Something  fell  upon  my  head  with  tremendous 
force  at  that  moment,  but  as  the  blow  descended 
Holman  fired,  and  even  as  I  fought  to  escape  the 
grip  of  the  strong  fingers  that  twined  themselves 
around  my  neck,  I  realized  with  a  great  wave  of 


198  THE  WHITE  WATERFALL 

happiness  that  the  bulk  in  front  of  me  had  pitched 
forward  when  the  shot  had  shattered  the  silence. 

In  a  wild  bedlam  of  oaths  and  shouts  we  fought 
and  struggled.  The  "tivo"  dancers  had  followed 
upon  our  track  through  the  long  afternoon,  and 
the  time  that  we  had  lost  in  locating  Leith  had 
given  them  an  opportunity  to  come  up  with  us. 
In  the  gloom  we  threshed  backward  and  forward, 
but  our  efforts  to  escape  were  vain.  The  one-eyed 
white  man  appeared  mysteriously  out  of  the  shad 
ows  to  help  the  huge  natives,  and  in  three  min 
utes  Holman  and  I  were  tied  hand  and  foot  and 
stretched  out  near  the  unfortunate  Professor,  who, 
with  bound  limbs,  was  sitting  up  in  the  centre  of 
the  grassy  clearing  where  Leith  and  he  had  been 
exchanging  personalities.  There  were  no  signs  of  the 
girls,  and  I  wondered,  as  my  brain  recovered  from  the 
effects  of  the  blow,  what  had  happened  to  them. 

Holman's  voice  put  a  question  that  roused  me 
from  my  half  stupor. 

"  Did  I  kill  him  ? "  cried  the  young  fellow.  "Tell  me !' ' 

The  question  was  answered  by  a  stream  of  blas 
phemy  that  came  from  Leith  himself.  The  big 
ruffian  had  fallen  into  a  bunch  of  ribbon-grass,  but 
now,  with  the  assistance  of  One  Eye,  he  got  to  his 
feet  and  staggered  toward  us.  From  the  actions 
of  his  white  partner,  I  surmised  that  Holman's 
bullet  had  struck  him  in  the  left  shoulder,  and  the 


THE  STONE  TABLE  199 

surmise  proved  true.  The  attack  of  the  dancers  had 
jerked  the  youngster's  arm,  and  the  wound  was  twelve 
inches  above  the  point  that  Holman  had  aimed  at. 

With  One  Eye  and  the  three  dancers  holding 
him  upon  his  feet,  and  the  blood  dripping  from  the 
wound,  he  kicked  us  furiously,  howling  unspeak 
able  imprecations  as  he  drove  his  heavy  boots 
against  our  ribs.  We  had  met  the  real  Leith  at 
last.  The  devilishness  that  we  had  sensed  behind 
the  lustreless  eyes  blazed  forth  in  full  fury,  and 
to  me,  familiar  as  I  was  with  all  the  weird  and 
wonderful  curse  phraseology  used  by  the  skippers 
and  mates  of  the  island  boats,  his  anathemas  im 
pressed  me  as  being  the  most  blood  curdling  oaths 
that  had  ever  come  to  my  ears.  The  man  was  a 
devil  at  that  minute.  His  tremendous  strength 
made  the  restraining  efforts  of  the  other  four  use 
less,  and  we  were  in  danger  of  being  kicked  to  death 
if  a  merciful  interruption  had  not  stopped  him. 
The  horrified  Professor,  who  was  sitting  upright 
during  the  exhibition  of  brutality,  lifted  up  his 
voice  in  protest,  and  his  shrill  denunciations  brought 
a  cry  out  of  the  surrounding  gloom. 

"Father!  father!     Where  are  you,  father?" 

It  was  Edith  Herndon's  voice,  and    the  note   of 

agony   in   the  words   maddened  me.      I   drove  my 

teeth  into  Leith's  left  leg  as  he  stood  quiet  for  a 

second    near   my    head,    and    the    brute    used    the 


200  THE  WHITE  WATERFALL 

sole  of  his  right  boot  to  loosen  my  grip.  There  were 
no  gentle  ways  about  the  devil.  As  Edith's  cry 
was  repeated,  he  had  administered  a  farewell  kick 
to  Holman  and  me,  and  shouted  an  order  in  the 
same  strange  dialect  which  the  dancer  had  used  in 
addressing  me  in  the  Cavern  of  the  Skulls  when  the 
robe  of  parrot  feathers  had  saved  my  life.  The 
three  natives  immediately  gripped  us  by  the  heels 
and  we  were  dragged  off  into  the  bushes. 

It  seemed  to  me  that  Edith  Herndon's  cry  was 
repeated  again  and  again  as  the  natives  dragged  me 
at  a  jog  trot  through  the  undergrowth.  There  was 
untold  anguish  in  the  cry.  It  was  plain  that  Leith 
had  taken  the  unfortunate  old  Professor  some  dis 
tance  from  his  daughters  so  that  they  could  not 
listen  to  the  conversation,  and  the  scientist's  high- 
pitched  protests  against  our  maltreatment  had 
caused  the  terror-stricken  girls  to  think  that  Leith 
was  ill-using  their  father.  I  imagined  that  the  big 
ruffian  had  rushed  us  away  from  the  spot  lest  the 
two  women  would  escape  from  Soma  and  run  to 
the  assistance  of  their  father,  but  I  know  that  we 
were  thankful  that  the  interruption  put  an  end  to 
the  football  tactics  in  which  the  infuriated  devil 
was  indulging. 

But  we  had  escaped  from  the  frying  pan  to  find 
ourselves  in  the  flames.  The  three  dancers  felt 
that  the  Fates  had  given  them  a  chance  to  avenge 


THE  STONE  TABLE  201 

their  friend,  and  they  took  full  advantage  of  the 
opportunity.  So  that  each  would  have  a  proper 
share  in  the  burden,  they  placed  us  side  by  side, 
strapped  our  ankles  together,  and  then,  passing  a 
rope  through  the  straps,  the  three  laid  hold  of  it 
and  set  off  through  the  night,  towing  us  behind  with 
an  absolute  disregard  for  our  feelings.  They  entered 
into  the  fun  of  the  thing.  No  Norwegian  peasant 
ever  towed  home  a  Yule  log  with  a  greater  exhi 
bition  of  joy  than  those  savages  displayed  as  they 
hauled  us  through  the  thickets.  They  had  a  con 
tempt  for  open  places.  They  chose  the  most  in 
tricate  paths  they  could  find,  and  if  a  tough  liana 
gripped  Holman  or  me  around  the  throat,  the  fiends 
found  great  fun  in  straining  upon  the  rope  till  the 
wire-like  creepers  gave  way. 

We  suffered  unbearable  torture.  Hour  after  hour 
we  were  jerked  over  the  ground.  Our  clothes  were 
stripped  from  our  backs,  our  faces  were  torn  and 
bloody  from  the  thorns,  and  our  tormented  flesh 
protested  through  every  nerve  against  the  treatment. 
Once  Holman  put  a  question  in  a  hoarse  whisper. 

"Where  are  they  taking  us?"  he  asked. 

"God  knows,"  I  gasped. 

"It's  my  fault,  Verslun." 

"Why?"  I  groaned. 

"I  missed  him!     I  missed  him!     I 

His  voice   died   away  in   a   choking  sob,   and   I 


202  THE  WHITE  WATERFALL 

imagine  he  swooned  away.  As  we  were  being  towed 
by  the  legs,  I  guessed  that  Holman  was  suffering 
excruciating  pain  from  the  limb  that  he  had  in 
jured  by  the  fall  from  the  maupei  tree,  and  the  lapse 
into  unconsciousness  came  as  a  blessed  relief.  To 
me  the  rush  through  the  jungle  seemed  a  super 
lative  nightmare.  My  mind  played  tricks  with  me. 
I  thought  that  the  three  black  forms,  leaping  along 
in  front,  were  a  trinity  of  devils  who  were  ordered  to 
torture  me  for  my  stupidity  in  allowing  Edith 
Herndon  and  her  sister  to  leave  the  yacht.  Every 
creeper  became  a  whip  wielded  by  a  mocking 
phantom,  and  I  am  forced  to  confess  that  I  have  a 
vivid  recollection  of  crying  to  heaven  for  pardon 
for  my^criminal  negligence.  Every  horror  that  the 
happenings  of  the  previous  forty-eight  hours  had 
germinated  within  my  brain  sprang  into  lusty 
being  as  my  mind  trembled  upon  the  abyss  of  in 
sanity,  and  Edith  Herndon  was  the  person  that  the 
legion  of  horrors  threatened. 

I  came  to  my  proper  senses  to  find  that  our 
towing  trinity  had  called  a  halt.  Holman  was 
repeating  a  question  over  and  over  again,  and  I 
endeavoured  to  moisten  my  dry  throat  so  that  I 
could  answer. 

"Where  are  we?"  he  groaned.  "Where  are  we? 
Are  you  dead,  Verslun?  Open  your  eyes  and  take 
a  look  around;  my  peepers  are  bunged  up." 


THE  STONE  TABLE  203 

I  managed  to  open  my  eyes,  but  I  could  see  noth 
ing  but  the  encompassing  jungle.  For  a  few  min 
utes  I  thought  that  we  were  alone.  Then  I  made  out 
the  three  figures  crouched  in  front  of  us  upon  the 
grass.  Their  heads  were  turned  away  from  us, 
and  they  were  facing  the  east,  where  the  faint 
luminous  glow  of  the  rising  moon  was  just  beginning 
to  appear  in  the  sky. 

The  three  were  motionless.  They  were  squatting 
upon  their  hams,  and  their  attitude  seemed  uncanny 
when  I  compared  it  with  the  mad  film  of  action 
which  my  mental  machinery  had  recorded  during 
the  preceding  hours.  They  had  stopped  for  some 
purpose,  but  that  purpose  I  could  not  determine. 

"Are  they  there?"  asked  Holman. 

"Yes,"  I  murmured. 

"What  are  they  doing?" 

"Sitting  in  a  line  staring  at  the  hills." 

The  youngster  gave  a  grunt,  turned  his  head 
till  he  managed  to  wipe  the  mud  and  blood  from  his 
eyes  upon  my  shoulder,  then  he  peered  at  the  silent 
three.  Their  motionless  forms  fascinated  him.  It 
was  hard  to  connect  them  with  the  three  bound 
ing  devils  who  had  brought  us  on  a  gallop  that 
was  more  painful  than  the  bareback  ride  which  the 
Polish  nobleman  gave  to  the  intriguing  Mazeppa. 

"What  do  you  make  of  it?"  he  whispered. 

"They're  resting  perhaps." 


204  THE  WHITE  WATERFALL 

"Not  them!  They  look  as  if  they're  hatching 
some  new  villainy. " 

Minute  after  minute  crept  by,  but  the  three  re 
mained  inactive.  They  took  no  notice  of  our  whis 
pered  conversation.  No  Hindu  Yogis  ever  sat  medi 
tating  with  the  absolute  immovability  of  the  three, 
and  as  our  wounds  stiffened  under  the  cold  night 
air,  we  became  foolishly  angry  at  the  wait.  If  we 
had  to  meet  death,  it  would  please  us  to  get  it  over 
as  soon  as  possible. 

"If  I  could  have  one  more  fling  at  them,"  groaned 
Holman.  "By  all  that's  holy,  Verslun,  I  feel  that  I 
could  fight  a  million  if  these  ropes  were  off  me. " 

He  endeavoured  to  get  his  face  down  to  the 
bandages  on  my  wrists,  but  we  had  been  strapped 
in  such  a  manner  that  it  was  impossible  to  reach  any 
of  the  ropes  with  our  teeth,  so  we  lay  quiet  and  re 
viewed  the  legion  of  tormenting  thoughts  that 
marched  through  our  minds.  The  jungle,  like  the 
three  natives,  seemed  to  be  waiting  for  a  happening. 
The  silence  was  more  horrible  than  the  thunder  of 
an  earthquake.  It  seemed  to  well  out  from  the 
silent  three,  till  we  longed  with  a  great  longing  for 
some  terrific  and  prolonged  noise  to  shiver  it  and 
send  battalions  of  echoes  to  chase  it  into  the  hills. 

The  moon  peered  above  the  black  cliffs,  and  the 
surroundings  became  more  distinct.  We  were  on 
the  edge  of  a  clearing,  and  there  was  something 


THE  STONE  TABLE  205 

vaguely  familiar  about  the  trees  that  our  cramped 
position  allowed  us  to  see.  We  felt  certain  that 
we  had  passed  this  place  on  our  journey  from  the 
yacht,  and  each  minute  that  passed  strengthened 
the  conviction. 

"Seems  to  me  that  I've  seen  that  tree  before," 
muttered  Holman. 

"I  hold  the  same  impression,"  I  said. 

"And  those  rocks,"  remarked  the  youngster. 
"Why,  we're  going  back  to  The  Waij!" 

The  three  natives  rose  together  at  that  moment 
and  gripped  the  rope.  We  gave  a  joint  groan  of 
agony  as  our  stiffened  limbs  were  jerked  forward, 
and  as  we  were  pulled  from  the  fringe  of  reed- 
like  grass  our  exact  whereabouts  were  made  known 
to  us.  Standing  up  against  the  moon,  the  rim  of 
the  orb  showing  just  above  the  massive  top,  was  the 
great  stone  table  that  Holman  and  I  had  climbed  two 
nights  before! 


CHAPTER  XVII 

BENEATH    THE    CENTIPEDE 

THE  natives  moved  at  a  slow  walk  across  the 
clearing,  and  for  this  little  indulgence  we  were 
exceedingly  thankful.      There  was  no  grass 
covering  upon  the  bed  of  coral  rock  in  the  middle  of 
which  the  singular  structure  stood,  and  our  bleeding 
bodies  could  have  hardly  stood  a  swift  gallop  across 
the  prickly  surface.     As  it  was  we  were  immensely 
glad  when  the  trinity  halted  in  front  of  the  edifice. 
"Say,"  murmured  Holman,  "do  you  remember 
what  the  Professor  said  about  this  place  the  other 
night  when  he  was  speaking  about  sacrificial  altars?" 
I  groaned  as  an  intimation  that  the  subject  was 
not  a  pleasant  one,  but  Holman  wanted  to  make 

206 


BENEATH  THE  CENTIPEDE  207 

public  admission  that  he  had  exhibited  gross  ignor 
ance  in  ridiculing  the  Professor's  assertions. 

"I  thought  he  was  handing  it  out  too  strong, 
Verslun,"  he  murmured,  "but  it  strikes  me  now 
that  he  had  the  right  dope  about  this  infernal  thing. 
I  believe  they're  going  to  settle  us." 

I  groaned  again.  Holman's  airy  manner  of 
discussing  our  predicament  annoyed  me.  I  hated 
the  Professor  for  making  the  remarks  about  sac 
rificial  stones  when  he  drew  comparisons  between 
the  table  and  Aztec  altars,  because  I  now  thought 
that  the  very  fear  planted  within  my  brain  would 
carry  a  thought  suggestion  to  the  three  devils  who 
had  us  prisoners.  Under  ordinary  circumstances 
I  am  not  deficient  in  physical  courage,  but  our 
position  in  front  of  the  strange  monument  on  the 
Isle  of  Tears  left  me  with  the  valour  of  a  jack- 
rabbit.  The  terror  generated  by  the  surroundings 
bit  into  my  system  like  an  acid. 

"What  Pm  wondering  at,"  continued  Holman,  "  is 
about  that  guy  that  we  saw  on  the  top  of  the  place. 
How  he  got  away  was  a  mystery. " 

"It  was,"  I  replied.  I  didn't  feel  disposed  to 
trust  myself  to  make  a  longer  comment  at  that 
moment. 

"Well,  they're  going  to  start  operations,"  said 
the  youngster.  "We're  going  to  the  top,  Verslun. " 

It  was  plain  that  we  were.     Two  of  the  natives 


208  THE  WHITE  WATERFALL 

had  shinned  up  one  of  the  pillars  by  means  of  small 
notches  in  one  corner,  and  now  the  other  cut  the 
bands  that  tied  us  together,  promptly  attached 
Holman's  feet  to  the  rope  his  comrades  lowered, 
and  signalled  that  all  was  ready  by  clapping  his 
hands.  The  youngster  was  quickly  jerked  upward, 
and  in  a  few  minutes  I  was  beside  him  on  the  moss- 
grown  sloping  surface  of  the  immense  stone. 

The  three  dancers  were  evidently  impressed  with 
the  importance  of  the  work  they  had  in  hand. 
Their  movements  on  the  stone  became  more  digni 
fied  and  solemn.  They  moved  around  us  in  a  man 
ner  that  would  have  provoked  laughter  at  any  other 
time,  and  we  watched  eagerly  for  developments. 

With  much  care  they  placed  us  side  by  side  on 
the  upper  part  of  the  stone,  but  Holman's  feet  were 
turned  to  my  head,  and  as  we  were  placed  cross 
wise  upon  the  inclined  surface,  my  body  was  a  few 
inches  lower  than  his.  That  we  were  to  be  sacrificed 
appeared  to  be  a  certainty  at  that  moment,  but  the 
method  by  which  we  were  to  be  sent  into  eternity 
puzzled  us.  Not  one  of  the  three  had  a  weapon. 
The  surface  of  the  stone  was  as  bare  as  it  was  upon 
the  night  that  we  had  investigated  it,  and  we  began 
to  think  that  death  by  starvation  and  thirst  would 
probably  be  our  fate. 

But  thoughts  of  such  an  ending  were  soon  put 
aside.  Two  of  the  savages  slipped  from  the  stone, 


BENEATH  THE  CENTIPEDE  209 

while  the  other  dropped  upon  his  stomach  and  hid 
his  face.  That  something  was  going  to  happen  we 
felt  certain,  but  we  could  not  discover  the  slightest 
clue  that  would  guide  our  puzzled  wits  to  a  solution. 
We  expected  death,  but  we  could  not  guess  in  what 
manner  the  job  was  to  be  performed. 

"Looks  as  if  something  is  coming,  Verslun,"  cried 
Holman.  "I  was  a  fool  to  miss  him,  old  man,  but 
I  guess  —  oh,  Gee!" 

The  final  exclamation  was  caused  by  a  happen 
ing  immediately  beside  us.  A  section  of  the  moss- 
grown  stone,  about  eight  feet  long  and  eighteen 
inches  in  width,  started  to  rise  slowly,  and  when  our 
astonished  eyes  fell  upon  it  we  knew  that  we  had 
the  solution  of  the  strange  appearance  of  the  figure 
upon  the  table  on  the  night  we  camped  in  its  shadow. 
Holman  had  seen  this  movable  slab  rise  above  the 
top  of  the  table,  but  it  had  returned  to  its  groove 
before  we  had  climbed  the  tree,  and  it  had  fitted 
so  closely  into  its  moss-grown  bed  that  we  had  been 
unable  to  detect  a  crevice  in  the  moonlight.  We  had 
been  on  the  verge  of  a  discovery,  but  as  we  recalled 
the  incident,  lying  there  helpless,  we  were  doubtful 
if  it  would  have  saved  us  from  the  fate  we  expected. 
The  note  which  Soma  had  dropped  gave  full  con 
firmation  to  all  our  suspicions  concerning  Leith, 
yet  we  had  been  unable  to  hold  our  own  against  him. 

One  end  of  the  slab   remained   stationary  after 


210  THE  WHITE  WATERFALL 

it  had  risen  a  few  inches  from  its  bed,  but  the  other 
end,  which  was  nearest  us,  went  up  and  up,  pushed 
by  some  screwjack  arrangement  that  lifted  it  with 
slow,  jerky  movements  till  it  was  nearly  upright. 
The  moonlight  fell  upon  the  under  surface  that  was 
turned  toward  us,  and  we  understood  the  manner 
in  which  Leith's  friends  had  arranged  for  us  to 
make  our  exit  from  this  world.  The  bottom  of  the 
stone  slab  had  been  carved  into  a  perfect  repre 
sentation  of  a  centipede,  and  as  the  slab  remained 
stationary  just  before  it  reached  the  perpendicular, 
I  began  to  dive  into  my  mental  reticule  for  the  scraps 
of  prayers  that  had  been  caught  and  held  through  a 
rather  checkered  career  in  places  where  the  efficacy 
of  prayer  was  looked  upon  with  a  cold  eye. 

The  prostrate  savage  rose  slowly  when  the  move 
ments  of  the  slab  had  ceased,  and  very  tenderly  he 
rolled  Holman  and  me  over  the  bed  from  which 
the  stone  had  been  lifted.  He  pushed  our  bodies 
against  the  wooden  post  that,  fitting  into  a  sliding 
groove  on  the  body  of  the  stone  centipede,  had 
lifted  the  thing  upright,  and  to  make  certain  that 
we  would  be  in  the  exact  centre  of  the  depression 
when  the  stone  came  back  to  its  proper  resting  place, 
he  strapped  us  carefully  to  the  support  with  pieces 
of  ramie  fibre,  so  that  we  could  not  move  an  inch. 
With  faces  turned  upward  we  stared  at  the  carved 
figure  above  us,  and  the  insecure  tenure  we  had 


BENEATH  THE  CENTIPEDE  211 

upon  life  at  that  moment  was  impressed  upon  our 
minds  by  the  extreme  caution  which  the  officiating 
wizard  exercised  in  keeping  his  own  body  clear 
of  the  slab  lest  his  brethren,  who  were  evidently 
operating  the  clumsy  mechanism  from  some  place 
nearby,  should  let  the  stone  centipede  return  to  his 
home  without  giving  him  proper  warning. 

At  last  he  finished  the  business  to  his  satisfaction 
and  stepped  backward.  My  imagination  made  the 
thing  above  me  tremble  as  I  looked  at  it  with 
eyes  of  fear.  The  part  of  my  body  that  spanned 
the  depression  became  numb,  and  I  breathed  with 
difficulty. 

Holman  broke  the  silence.  "Good-bye,  Ver- 
slun,"  he  said  cheerfully.  "It's  mighty  tough  to 
go  out  like  this,  but  it's  the  fortune  of  war. " 

I  endeavoured  to  answer  him,  but  the  words, 
as  if  afraid  of  the  horror  that  loomed  above  me, 
refused  to  come  out  of  my  throat.  The  fiendish 
manner  in  which  we  were  to  be  killed  unmanned 
me.  The  slab  paralyzed  thought,  and  it  seemed 
to  me  that  only  the  inmost  kernel  of  my  being,  a 
very  pin-point  of  the  refined  essence  of  life,  was 
throbbing  within  my  body. 

The  officiating  wizard  stepped  around  us  for  a 
final  survey.  He  glanced  keenly  at  the  position 
of  our  bodies,  and,  evidently  satisfied  that  the  centi 
pede  had  every  opportunity  to  make  a  good  job, 


212  THE  WHITE  WATERFALL 

he  flung  himself  down  upon  his  face  and  started 
to  murmur  softly  in  the  strange  dialect  which  Leith 
had  spoken  when  addressing  the  three  earlier  in 
the  night,  and  which  the  dancer  had  used  in  the 
Cavern  of  Skulls.  I  remember  that  I  tried  dur 
ing  those  few  minutes  to  catch  a  word  or  two  of  the 
queer  tongue,  and  curiously  enough,  in  that  mo 
ment  of  extreme  peril,  I  endeavoured  to  connect 
it  with  some  of  the  dialects  I  had  heard  during  my 
long  stay  in  the  islands.  The  soft  muttering  seemed 
to  be  a  thread  connecting  us  with  life  itself,  and  I 
dreaded  the  moment  it  would  cease. 

I  do  not  know  how  long  the  chant  continued.  It 
rose  and  fell,  a  soft  rhythmic  murmur,  and  I  prayed 
that  it  would  never  end.  My  ears  sucked  it  in  as 
if  it  was  a  life  line  to  which  my  soul  was  clinging,  and  I 
dimly  understood  my  eagerness  to  catch  the  sounds. 
My  ability  to  do  so  seemed  to  be  wanted  as  proof 
to  convince  my  half-paralyzed  body  that  I  was  still 
alive. 

The  low  chant  ended  with  a  little  throaty  cry, 
and  I  shut  my  eyes  tight  to  save  myself  the  final 
moment  of  agony  which  the  falling  of  the  stone 
would  bring.  For  an  instant  there  was  absolute 
silence,  then  some  one  gripped  me  by  the  legs  and 
pulled  madly.  The  ramie  fibre  held  my  body  to 
the  supporting  post  of  the  centipede,  and  I  heard 
Holman  give  a  muttered  order.  A  knife  sawed 


BENEATH  THE  CENTIPEDE  213 

the  cords,  a  pair  of  hands  gripped  my  heels  and 
flung  me  forward,  and  as  I  fell  clear  of  the  groove 
the  stone  horror  crashed  back  into  its  bed  with  a 
jolt  that  shook  the  huge  table!  I  opened  my  eyes 
to  see  Kaipi  looking  at  the  face  of  the  dancer  he 
had  stabbed  in  the  back  as  the  brute  was  muttering 
his  prayer! 

"Oh  hell!"  said  the  Fijian.  "Me  thought  him 
Soma.  Me  made  mistake!  Me  going  kill  Soma, 
he  kill  Toni,  Toni  all  same  my  brother,  work  long 
time  with  me  at  Suva!" 

"Hurry  up  and  cut  these  ropes,"  cried  Holman. 
"There  are  two  more  of  those  devils  and  they'll 
be  back  before  we  get  the  cramp  out  of  our 
muscles." 

Kaipi  sprang  to  obey,  but  when  our  bonds  were 
cut  away,  we  found  that  we  could  not  get  to  our 
feet.  Legs  and  arms  were  completely  numbed, 
and  the  many  abrasions  that  we  had  come  by  during 
the  towing  process  to  which  we  had  been  subjected 
made  Kaipi's  efforts  to  restore  circulation  by  rub 
bing  a  species  of  torture  that  would  surely  have 
earned  the  commendation  of  Torquemada  if  it  had 
been  brought  under  his  notice. 

"Narrow  squeak,  Verslun,"  remarked  Holman, 
as  he  endeavoured  to  get  to  his  knees.  "I  wonder 
where  those  two  other  devils  went  to  work  the 
machinery." 


214  THE  WHITE  WATERFALL 

"They  must  be  close,"  I  whispered.  "Drag 
us  over  to  the  edge,  Kaipi.  They'll  surely  come 
up  to  see  how  the  job  was  done  or  to  see  what  is 
delaying  their  pal." 

Kaipi  helped  us  over  to  the  edge  of  the  table, 
and  while  he  was  doing  so  he  related  briefly  how  he 
came  to  be  on  hand  at  the  opportune  moment. 
Our  little  expedition  to  the  stone  table  had  passed 
the  Fijian  soon  after  the  trinity  had  taken  us  in  tow, 
and  Kaipi's  eyes  had  mistaken  the  biggest  of  the 
three  natives  for  Soma.  Revenge  for  Toni's  death 
being  the  one  motive  that  inspired  him,  he  had 
followed  the  procession,  watched  from  the  bushes 
till  the  other  two  dancers  had  left  Soma's  double  with 
us  on  the  top  of  the  table,  and  had  then  climbed 
quietly  up  and  knifed  the  officiating  wizard  while 
that  person  was  exhorting  the  stone  centipede  to 
make  a  good  job  of  Holman  and  me.  The  matter 
of  our  rescue  had  been  an  afterthought.  Strictly 
speaking,  he  deserved  no  great  amount  of  praise 
for  dragging  us  out  of  danger,  as  he  frankly  ad 
mitted  that  he  was  waiting  for  a  good  chance  to 
attack  the  person  who  resembled  Soma,  without 
having  any  particular  worry  whether  the  stone  slab 
would  descend  before  the  opportunity  arrived. 

"Never  mind,  Kaipi,"  said  Holman,  peering 
cautiously  over  the  edge  of  the  table,  "I'm  satisfied 
that  you  were  handy  at  the  moment  without  con- 


BENEATH  THE  CENTIPEDE  215 

sidering  whether  you  came  to  help  us  or  for  some 
other  purpose." 

"Toni  all  the  same  brother  to  me,"  muttered 
the  Fijian,  dimly  understanding  the  meaning  of  the 
remark;  "me  kill  Soma  pretty  damn  soon." 

"Quite  so,"  murmured  Holman.  "We'll  give 
our  consent  to  that  operation,  but  keep  quiet  for 
the  present  till  our  two  friends  come  back  to  see 
how  neatly  the  old  centipede  fixed  us. " 

We  remained  silent,  but  not  inactive.  As  we 
waited  for  the  missing  pair  we  rubbed  our  limbs 
carefully,  and  at  the  end  of  ten  minutes  we  began  to 
feel  alive.  Our  revolvers  had  been  lost  from  our 
pockets  during  the  mad  rush  through  the  night  — 
Leith  had  been  too  intent  on  kicking  us  to  order 
his  guard  to  search  us  for  arms  —  and  now  we  had 
nothing  but  our  bare  hands  with  which  to  do  combat 
with  a  pair  of  dancers.  But  we  thought  we  could 
do  a  lot  with  bare  hands  when  we  glanced  at  the 
spot  where  the  stone  centipede  had  crashed  back 
to  its  bed.  A  vision  of  that  devilish  carving  stand 
ing  above  one  in  the  moonlight  was  enough  to 
stimulate  a  person  to  herculean  tasks  when  he  under 
stood  that  failure  would  bring  him  again  under 
its  ghastly  shadow. 

For  about  twenty  minutes  we  waited  patiently. 
Kaipi  had  asserted  that  the  two  savages  had  slipped 
into  the  jungle  growth  after  they  had  left  the  table, 


2i6  THE  WHITE  WATERFALL 

and  it  was  evident  that  they  had  gone  to  some  under 
ground  passage  that  connected  with  one  of  the  pillars 
of  the  altar,  through  which  the  crude  mechanism  for 
lifting  the  stone  slab  had  been  operated.  With 
one  eye  always  to  the  dramatic,  the  wizards  of  the 
long  ago  had  built  the  altar  so  that  the  common 
worshippers  surrounding  the  place  on  days  when 
the  centipede  was  called  upon  to  mash  some  unfor 
tunate  victim  could  not  see  how  the  slab  was  lifted, 
and  would  thus  put  the  uplifting  of  the  thing  down 
to  supernatural  agency.  It  was  the  tribal  Houdin 
who  laid  the  foundation  of  many  a  strange  belief 
amongst  savage  races. 

"Must  be  waiting  for  him  to  come  to  them," 
said  Holman.  "We'll  give  them  a  few  minutes 
longer." 

It  was  Kaipi's  sharp  eyes  that  made  the  discovery. 
The  pair  came  cautiously  out  of  the  bushes  imme 
diately  underneath  the  tree  which  Holman  and  I 
had  climbed  to  obtain  a  view  of  the  surface  of  the 
table  two  nights  before,  and  they  crossed  the  clear 
ing  with  hesitating  steps.  They  evidently  expected 
the  officiating  wizard  to  announce  in  sporting  phrase 
ology  that  the  centipede  had  won  the  engagement 
with  one  swift  blow  to  the  body,  and  when  no  news 
was  forthcoming  they  were  puzzled. 

They  confabbed  in  the  centre  of  the  clearing, 
and  then  hailed  the  table  in  the  strange  tongue. 


"They  confabbed  in  the  centre  of  the  clearing  and  then  hailed 
the  table  in  the  strange  tongue." 


BENEATH  THE  CENTIPEDE  217 

Receiving  no  answer,  they  again  debated  with  much 
vigour,  and,  finally  taking  their  courage  in  their 
hands,  they  came  forward  with  quickened  steps. 

We  crept  close  to  the  edge,  careful  not  to  peer 
over  while  the  pair  were  climbing  up.  As  far  as  I 
was  aware  we  had  no  plans  made  for  their  reception. 
Holman  and  I  had  no  weapons,  neither  had  the  two 
dancers;  Kaipi  had  the  ugly  short-bladed  knife  with 
which  he  had  dispatched  Soma's  double. 

The  puffing  of  the  climbing  pair  came  to  us. 
They  came  near  and  nearer.  A  black  arm  came 
up  over  the  edge  of  the  table  and  clawed  at  the 
moss-grown  stone,  but  while  Holman  and  I  reached 
forward  with  the  intention  of  gripping  the  climber 
by  the  throat,  Kaipi  upset  our  plans  by  driving  the 
blade  of  the  knife  into  the  back  of  the  huge  paw  that 
was  endeavouring  to  get  a  grip! 

A  tremendous  howl  of  pain  came  from  the  owner 
of  the  hand,  the  pinioned  member  was  torn  from 
beneath  the  blade,  and  as  we  pushed  our  heads  over 
the  edge,  the  top  climber  fell  backward,  swept  his 
companion  from  the  pillar,  and  the  pair  struck  the 
coral  rock  beneath  the  table  with  a  thud  that 
was  suggestive  of  broken  bones.  The  native  with 
the  skewered  hand  picked  himself  up  and  dashed 
toward  the  trees,  but  the  other  remained  at  the 
foot  of  the  pillar,  and  his  position  led  us  to  believe 
that  his  neck  had  been  broken  by  the  fall. 


218  THE  WHITE  WATERFALL 

"My  knife!"  cried  Kaipi.  "He  knocked  my  knife 
down!" 

The  Fijian  swung  himself  over  the  edge,  and  with 
monkey-like  agility  slipped  down  the  pillar.  He 
shouted  up  to  us  that  he  thought  that  the  man  on 
the  ground  was  dead,  but  having  found  his  precious 
knife,  he  proceeded  to  set  all  doubts  upon  the  matter 
at  rest. 

"Soma  better  dodge  that  little  fire  eater,"  mut 
tered  Holman.  "I  thought  him  a  coward  last 
night,  but  it  looks  as  if  he's  a  fighter  when  once 
he  gets  started. " 

As  we  were  unable  to  slip  down  the  stone  pillar 
in  the  same  manner  as  the  natives,  we  found  the 
piece  of  rope  by  which  the  three  dancers  had  hauled 
us  up  to  the  top,  and  making  it  secure  upon  a  stone 
projection  we  lowered  ourselves  to  the  ground. 

"Now, "  said  Holman,  "  we  must  make  a  new  start, 
and  if  we  get  beat  in  this  round  we  deserve  all  that 
the  big  fiend  who  has  brought  all  this  trouble  about 
can  do  to  us.  Kaipi,  you're  a  friend  of  mine  for 
all  time.  Shake  hands." 

The  grinning  Fijian  shook  hands  with  both  of 
us,  and  we  moved  toward  the  trees,  heading  in  the 
direction  of  the  spot  where  Leith  had  kicked  us  so 
vigorously  a  few  hours  before. 


CHAPTER  XVIII 
BARBARA'S  MESSENGER 

WE  HAD  a  healthy  respect  for  the  deviltry  of 
Leith  and  his  friends  as  we  turned  our  backs 
upon  the  lonely  throne  of  the  centipede,  but 
the  cry  of  "Father"  which  Edith  Herndon  had  uttered 
was  still  ringing  in  our  ears,  and  we  were  anxious 
to  get  within  hitting  distance  of  the  big,  treacherous 
ruffian.  A  mental  review  of  the  engagements  made 
us  feel  rather  light-hearted  as  we  pushed  through 
the  tangle.  If  there  were  only  six  native  dancers 
upon  the  island  at  the  opening  of  the  conflict  in 
the  Cavern  of  Skulls,  we  had  reduced  that  number 
to  one,  while  the  bullet  in  Leith's  shoulder  would 
depreciate  his  fighting  ability  for  some  time.  Out 
side  the  carriers,  who,  as  far  as  we  knew,  were  neu 
tral  in  the  matter,  we  had  as  opponents,  Leith, 

219 


220  THE  WHITE  WATERFALL 

One  Eye,  Soma,  and  the  dancer  whose  hand  had 
been  punctured  by  Kaipi,  and  the  knowledge  that 
we  were  more  evenly  matched  brought  us  some 
consolation. 

But  the  fact  that  Edith  and  Barbara  Herndon 
were  in  the  power  of  the  scoundrel  brought  thoughts 
that  cast  a  damper  upon  the  little  scrap  of  joy  we 
derived  from  reckoning  up  the  casualties  of  the 
enemy.  The  passion  which  Leith  displayed  after 
receiving  Holman's  bullet  made  us  run  forward 
like  madmen  each  time  we  recalled  the  diabolical 
frenzy  that  he  exhibited.  We  could  not  think  of  a 
good  plan  to  circumvent  the  brute.  The  jungle 
hampered  and  maddened  us,  and  although  we  knew 
that  we  had  gone  about  our  work  in  a  blundering 
fashion,  the  circumstances  were  such  that  we  could 
not  improve  our  strategy  in  the  future. 

We  plunged  on  till  nearly  midnight,  then  Holman 
called  a  halt. 

"We  must  sleep,"  he  said.  "One  can  watch 
while  the  other  two  get  some  rest." 

Kaipi,  who  declared  that  he  was  never  less  in 
clined  for  slumber,  agreed  to  take  first  watch,  and 
Holman  and  I  flung  ourselves  down  upon  the  grass. 
We  had  had  no  slumber  on  the  previous  night,  and 
the  incidents  in  which  we  had  taken  part  had  left 
us  exhausted. 

It  was  daybreak  before  Kaipi  awakened  us,  and 


BARBARA'S  MESSENGER  221 

the  face  of  the  Fijian  informed  us  that  something 
had  alarmed  him.  He  was  stretched  full  length 
on  the  ground,  listening  as  only  a  native  can  listen, 
and  we  waited  for  his  report.  We  had  much  re 
spect  for  Kaipi's  hearing  after  checking  the  signals 
he  made  concerning  the  approaching  "tivo"  dancer 
on  the  previous  afternoon. 

"What  is  it?"  asked  Holman. 

"Some  one  go  by,  much  hurry,"  murmured  the 
Fijian. 

We  crouched  in  the  bushes  and  listened.  It  was 
hardly  likely  that  Leith  had  changed  his  route, 
and  the  only  person  that  we  knew  to  be  in  our 
neighbourhood  was  the  dancer. 

"If  we  could  get  hold  of  him  we  might  use  the 
third  degree  on  him  to  guide  us  to  the  spot  that 
Leith  is  making  for,"  said  Holman.  "We'll  be 
outgeneralled  completely  if  he  gets  into  those 
caverns  on  the  hills.  If  he  has  provisions  he  can 
snap  his  fingers  at  a  regiment." 

I  agreed  with  him  on  that  point.  The  valley 
inside  the  basalt  cliffs,  and  which,  as  far  as  we  could 
judge,  could  only  be  entered  by  the  slippery  pathway 
in  the  Vermilion  Pit,  was  about  the  finest  natural 
hiding  place  in  the  world.  Without  taking  the  caves 
into  consideration,  the  luxurious  vegetation  in  the 
cup  between  the  hills  made  the  finding  of  a  per 
son  a  matter  of  extreme  luck.  It  was  a  marvel- 


222  THE  WHITE  WATERFALL 

lous  maze  that  Nature  seemed  to  have  constructed 
especially  for  the  diabolical  work  in  which  Leith 
was  engaged. 

Kaipi's  ear  was  still  to  the  ground,  and  the 
anxious  look  upon  his  face  convinced  us  that  some 
one  was  close. 

"Coming  back  again,"  breathed  the  Islander. 
"One  man,  walk  slow." 

Our  own  ears  acquainted  us  of  the  approach  at 
that  moment.  The  sound  of  crackling  twigs  was 
quite  close,  and  we  waited  breathlessly,  eying  the 
green  curtain  through  which  we  expected  the  un 
known  to  thrust  himself. 

A  black  head  bobbed  through  the  leaves,  and 
Holman  planted  a  fist  between  the  newcomer's 
eyes  before  the  head  could  be  withdrawn.  The 
morning  visitor  dropped  to  the  ground,  and  the  three 
of  us  promptly  fell  upon  him,  the  bloodthirsty 
Kaipi  having  to  be  restrained  by  main  force  from 
giving  another  exhibition  of  neat  knifework. 

"Who  is  it?"  asked  Holman.  "Get  back,  Kaipi, 
and  let  me  see. " 

We  dragged  the  panting  prisoner  into  the  light, 
but  instead  of  the  escaped  dancer,  we  found  that 
we  had  trapped  one  of  the  five  carriers,  a  big  Rare- 
tongan  named  Maru,  who  was  possessed  of  enormous 
strength. 

Holman's  punch  had  been  no  light  one,  and  it  was 


BARBARA'S  MESSENGER  223 

a  few  seconds  before  the  mists  had  cleared  from  the 
Raretongan's  brain;  then  his  big  brown  eyes  lit  up 
with  a  smile  of  gladness,  and  he  nodded  to  Holman. 

"Me  want  you,"  he  said. 

"Quite  so,"  muttered  Holman,  "but  I  got  you 
first." 

Maru  smiled  the  smile  of  the  man  who  has  a  card 
up  his  sleeve,  and  he  fumbled  in  the  folds  of  his 
sulu  till  he  found  what  he  wanted.  With  a  dramatic 
flourish  he  drew  from  the  cloth  a  small  emerald 
ring  that  belonged  to  Barbara  Herndon,  and  he 
smiled  childishly  as  he  saw  the  look  of  astonish 
ment  upon  Holman's  face  as  he  snatched  the  trinket. 

"Why  —  who  —  how  the  devil  did  you  get  this?" 
he  asked. 

"Little  missee  give  me,"  replied  Maru,  still 
convulsed  with  the  humour  which  his  childish  mind 
found  in  the  situation.  "She  tell  me  come  alonga 
you." 

Holman  poured  out  a  torrent  of  questions  which 
the  smiling  messenger  endeavoured  to  answer  to 
the  best  of  his  ability.  In  pigeon  English  he  in 
formed  us  that  he  had  deserted  Leith's  camp  about 
midnight;  that  the  big  ruffian  had  turned  abruptly 
from  the  direction  he  was  moving  in  at  the  time 
we  caught  up  with  him,  and  that  Holman's  bullet 
had  caused  him  serious  inconvenience.  The  two 
girls  and  the  Professor  were  in  charge  of  Soma  and 


224  THE  WHITE  WATERFALL 

the  one-eyed  white  man,  who,  we  now  learned,  was 
deaf  and  dumb.  It  was  while  One  Eye  was  on 
guard  that  Barbara  Herndon  had  been  able  to  bribe 
the  Raretongan  to  throw  the  strength  of  his  muscles 
upon  our  side  of  the  argument. 

Holman,  with  lover-like  longing  for  anything 
owned  by  the  lady  of  his  choice,  attempted  to  put 
the  emerald  ring  in  his  pocket,  but  Maru  objected 
strongly.  The  smile  fled  from  his  face,  and  his 
broken  English  nearly  strangled  him  in  his  efforts 
to  pour  out  enough  of  it  to  acquaint  Holman  of 
the  nature  of  the  agreement  which  he  had  entered 
into  with  Barbara  Herndon. 

"Me  only  show  you  ring,  that's  all!"  he  cried. 
"You  look,  know  little  missee  send  me,  ring  mine 
all  time.  You  give  back." 

"You  had  better  give  it  back  to  him, "  I  cautioned. 
"He  has  got  the  idea  into  his  head,  and  it  will  take 
a  lot  of  arguing  to  convince  him  that  Miss  Barbara 
didn't  give  it  to  him  to  keep." 

"But  she  didn't!"  cried  Holman.  "Why  would 
she  give  him  a  ring?  She  just  gave  him  a  loan  of  it 
to  let  him  see  that  she  had  sent  him  to  us." 

"My  ring  all  time,"  protested  Maru.  "That  my 
pay  fight  mighty  good  for  you." 

"Give  it  up  to  him,"  I  advised.  "He's  only 
an  overgrown  child,  and  he  has  set  his  mind  on 
it." 


BARBARA'S  MESSENGER  225 

"But,  Verslun,  I  know  she  wouldn't  do  that!" 
protested  the  lover.  "Barbara  sent  me  this  as " 

"Oh,  I  know,"  I  cried,  "but  we  want  fighters 
now,  and  Maru  is  a  pretty  athletic  person." 

"Me  damn  good  fighter!"  cried  the  Raretongan. 
"Me  plentee  good  fighter  if  me  get  ring." 

Holman  gave  up  the  trinket  with  a  snort  of  dis 
gust,  and  a  few  minutes  afterward,  when  we  were 
tramping  along,  I  made  it  my  business  to  drop  back 
beside  Maru  and  advise  him  to  keep  the  ring  out  of 
the  youngster's  sight  till  we  had  rescued  Miss  Bar 
bara.  If  the  native  had  displayed  his  reward  it 
was  highly  probable  that  the  lovesick  Holman, 
with  nerves  on  the  raw  edge  from  want  of  sleep  and 
worry,  would  have  pounced  upon  the  mighty  Maru 
and  endeavoured  to  obtain  possession  of  what  he 
fondly  thought  was  a  token  of  affection  from  his 
beloved. 

But  the  arrival  of  the  messenger  was  worth  more 
than  the  emerald  ring  to  us  at  that  moment.  He 
had  more  woodcraft  than  Kaipi,  who  had  spent  most 
of  his  time  upon  the  ocean,  and  his  information 
regarding  the  direction  in  which  Leith  was  now 
heading  saved  us  many  weary  hours  of  marching. 

Yams  and  guavas,  with  wild  passion  fruit,  made  a 
breakfast  and  dinner  as  we  clawed  our  way  in 
pursuit.  At  midday  we  judged  that  we  were  hot 
upon  the  trail,  unless  Leith  had  changed  his  course, 


226  THE  WHITE  WATERFALL 

but  the  black  cliffs  were  close  to  us  at  that  moment, 
and  the  recollections  of  the  gloomy  caverns  made  us 
silent  as  we  pushed  through  the  matted  jungle. 
We  could  see  no  trace  of  the  path  which  Leith  would 
be  compelled  to  cut  to  enable  the  two  girls  to  get 
through,  and  we  heard  no  sounds.  A  lone  parrakeet 
startled  us  with  its  harsh  cry  as  it  rose  from  a 
maupei  tree,  and  the  bird  even  seemed  to  recognize 
that  it  had  committed  a  breach  in  sending  its  un 
musical  cry  out  upon  the  awful  quiet  of  the  place. 

Kaipi  climbed  a  tall  tree  in  the  vain  hope  of  catch 
ing  sight  of  Leith's  party  as  it  crossed  the  small 
cleared  spaces  in  the  middle  of  the  impenetrable 
growth,  but  nothing  except  the  green  plain  of  bushy 
tops  and  parasitical  creepers  was  visible.  As  we 
waited  beneath  the  tree  the  "ticking"  of  a  wood 
bug  sounded  like  hammer  blows  in  the  tremendous 
quietude,  while  the  bursting  of  a  pod  reminded  one 
of  the  beginning  of  a  Fourth  of  July  celebration. 
We  had  lost  all  trace  of  Leith,  and  now,  immediately 
in  front,  rose  the  cliffs,  and  we  saw  a  menace  on 
their  dark,  forbidding  front. 

The  base  of  the  hills  presented  the  same  nearly 
perpendicular  formation  that  we  had  met  when 
endeavouring  to  reach  the  long  gallery,  and  we  held  a 
council  to  decide  on  what  would  be  the  best  course 
to  pursue.  Maru  was  confident  that  Leith  was 
heading  for  this  particular  point  at  the  moment 


BARBARA'S  MESSENGER  227 

that  Barbara's  bribe  caused  the  Raretongan  to 
desert,  and  it  was  reasonable  to  think  that  the 
ruffian  had  retired  to  some  hiding  place  to  nurse 
his  wound  and  decide  upon  the  fate  of  the  Professor 
and  his  two  daughters.  From  the  scraps  of  con 
versation  which  we  had  overheard  before  Holman 
interrupted  the  argument  between  Leith  and  the 
scientist,  we  thought  it  probable  that  the  old  man 
would  visit  the  centipede  upon  the  big  table  if  he 
did  not  sign  the  papers  that  Leith  required,  while 
we  shuddered  at  the  probable  fate  of  the  two  girls 
unless  Providence  directed  us  as  to  the  manner 
in  which  we  could  effect  a  rescue. 

"We  must  divide,"  said  Holman.  "I'll  take 
Kaipi  and  go  north,  you  take  Maru  and  go  in  the 
opposite  direction.  If  you  find  the  trail,  camp  near 
it  and  send  Maru  on  the  run  back  to  us.  I'll  do 
the  same  if  I  strike  the  spoor  of  the  big  devil." 

It  was  about  two  o'clock,  as  nearly  as  we  could 
judge,  when  we  separated.  We  agreed  to  keep  as 
close  as  possible  to  the  rocky  wall  so  that  a  messenger 
from  one  would  have  less  difficulty  in  locating  the 
other,  and  Maru  and  I  found,  before  we  had  gone 
a  hundred  yards,  that  the  nearer  we  could  get  to 
the  cliff  the  quicker  we  could  get  along.  The  lianas 
found  it  difficult  to  get  a  grip  upon  the  rocks,  and 
we  could  worm  our  way  without  much  trouble. 

We  had  travelled  about  three  quarters  of  a  mile 


228  THE  WHITE  WATERFALL 

when  the  native  dropped  upon  his  knees  and  I  im 
mediately  followed  his  example.  The  ordinary  Poly 
nesian  is  not  to  be  compared  with  the  Australian 
black  fellow  or  the  American  Indian  in  his  knowl 
edge  of  the  forest,  but  Maru  was  an  exception.  His 
sight  and  hearing  were  abnormally  keen,  and  he 
examined  the  grass  carefully. 

"One  man  go  by  here  pretty  short  time  ago," 
he  whispered. 

"Native?"  I  asked. 

"No,  him  wear  shoes." 

The  Raretongan  crawled  forward  on  his  knees,  his 
face  close  to  the  grass.  The  tracks  upon  the  soft  grass 
showed  that  the  person  was  moving  in  the  direction 
we  were  going,  and  for  about  twenty  yards  we  followed 
cautiously.  Leith,  the  one-eyed  white  man,  and  the 
Professor  were  the  only  three  men  on  the  Isle  of 
Tears,  outside  Holman  and  myself,  who  would  be 
wearing  shoes.  It  was  hard  to  think  that  the  Pro 
fessor  or  Leith  would  be  alone  at  that  moment,  so 
I  concluded,  as  we  crawled  along  in  the  shadow  of 
the  cliff,  that  the  tracks  were  made  by  One  Eye. 

Maru  suddenly  sprang  to  his  feet  and  stood  listen 
ing.  I  listened  too.  Into  the  awful  silence  came  a 
tremendous  rumbling  that  increased  each  second  till 
I  pictured  it  as  a  cancer  of  noise  growing  with  appall 
ing  rapidity  within  the  encompassing  stillness. 

"What  is  it?"  I  gasped.     "Why  it's " 


BARBARA'S  MESSENGER  229 

I  understood  at  that  moment,  and  I  sprang 
toward  the  jungle,  but  the  big  hand  of  the  Rare- 
tongan  gripped  my  shoulder  and  dragged  me  close 
to  the  cliff  beneath  an  overhanging  ledge. 

"Stay  here!"  he  yelled,  raising  his  voice  above  the 
tumult  that  seemed  to  be  coming  out  of  the  heavens. 
"Keep  close  much!" 

The  noise  was  deafening.  The  black  cliff  seemed 
to  rock  behind  us,  and  as  Maru  pulled  me  down  on 
my  knees  five  hundred  tons  of  rock  shot  from  the 
heights  and  flattened  ten  square  yards  of  the  packed 
shrubs  immediately  in  front  of  us! 

"Now!"  screamed  Maru,  as  the  dust  swept  in 
under  the  ledge  and  nearly  choked  us;  "we  get  away 
quick,  plenty  dust,  they  can't  see!" 

The  dirt  and  small  rocks  had  rolled  back  upon  us 
till  we  stood  ankle  deep,  but  the  native's  advice 
was  good.  Hugging  the  wall  of  the  cliff,  we  ran 
back  on  our  tracks  till  we  had  passed  the  area 
devastated  by  the  landslide;  then  we  sprang  into 
the  bushes  and  peered  up  at  the  cliff.  High  above 
the  cloud  of  dust  that  was  still  rising  from  the  ground, 
and  leaning  forward  so  that  he  could  view  the  extent 
of  the  avalanche,  was  the  one-eyed  white  man! 

"Maru,"  I  whispered,  "go  back  and  get  Holman. 
I'll  wait  here  till  you  come." 


CHAPTER  XIX 

LEITH    SCORES 

THE  one-eyed  man  stood  for  a  long  time  con 
templating  his  handiwork.  From  his  point 
of  observation  he  watched  the  pile  of  rocks 
and  the  surrounding  bushes,  and  the  absence 
of  movement  convinced  him  that  the  job  had  been 
well  done.  He  commenced  to  make  facial  contor 
tions  as  an  outlet  for  the  mirth  he  was  generating 
inside,  and  at  intervals  he  managed  to  produce  a 
peculiar  noise  that  reminded  one  of  the  bubbling 
of  a  camel.  I  began  to  think  that  One  Eye,  besides 
being  deaf  and  dumb,  was  suffering  from  a  shortage 
of  gray  matter  inside  his  ugly-shaped  head.  He 
strutted  up  and  down,  and  narrowly  escaped  top- 

230 


LEITH  SCORES  231 

pling  over  the  ledge  through  attempting  a  cake  dance 
as  a  grand  finale  to  the  insane  actions  prompted  by 
the  successful  manner  in  which  he  had  engineered 
the  landslide. 

The  afternoon  had  lengthened  out  before  Maru 
returned  with  Holman  and  Kaipi,  and  we  hur 
riedly  considered  the  best  course  to  pursue.  One 
Eye  had  been  with  Leith  when  Maru  deserted,  so 
it  was  obvious  that  we  were  not  far  from  the  ruffian's 
hiding  place. 

"If  we  could  catch  this  lunatic  on  the  cliff ?" 
muttered  Holman.  "Gee!  we  could  tickle  him  with 
Kaipi's  old  knife  blade  till  he  ran  us  right  into  the 
haunt." 

"He's  deaf,"  I  said;  "there's  a  good  chance  of 
roping  him  in  if  we  could  scale  the  cliff. " 

"Me  climb!"  said  Maru.  "Him  not  hear.  Me 
climb  all  alonga  track,  drop  down,  breakem  him 
neck." 

"No,  don't  break  his  neck!"  growled  Holman. 
"We  want  him  as  a  guide.  Do  you  understand? 
He  knows  where  Leith  is  hiding,  and  if  we  could  get 
hold  of  him  it  would  be  clear  sailing." 

Maru  borrowed  Kaipi's  knife,  nodded  confidently 
as  we  adjured  him  to  use  caution,  and  then  slipped 
back  along  the  track  so  that  he  could  climb  to  the 
level  of  the  one-eyed  person's  perch  before  attempt 
ing  to  creep  upon  him.  We  sat  down  to  await  de- 


232  THE  WHITE  WATERFALL 

velopments.  The  witless  one  was  evidently  a  look 
out,  and  it  was  advisable  to  wait  and  see  the  suc 
cess  of  Maru's  expedition  before  we  attempted  to 
move. 

It  was  a  long  wait.  Maru  didn't  intend  to  take 
any  chances  by  closing  in  hurriedly,  and  it  was 
nearly  two  hours  after  his  departure  before  we  saw 
his  head  rise  above  a  boulder  high  up  over  the  spot 
where  One  Eye  was  keeping  his  vigil.  It  was 
evidently  not  the  first  time  that  the  native  had 
stalked  a  human  being,  and  his  fine  tactics,  which 
should  have  called  forth  praise,  severely  tried  the 
small  amount  of  patience  that  we  possessed.  Hoi- 
man  cursed  softly  beneath  his  breath  as  Maru  sat 
for  ten  minutes  at  a  time  studying  the  route  before 
attempting  to  move  from  a  sheltering  rock,  and  my 
own  nails  burrowed  into  the  palms  of  my  hands  as 
I  watched.  The  Raretongan  was  a  genius  in  his 
own  particular  line,  and  I  think  he  took  more  than 
ordinary  precautions  so  that  his  success  would 
prove  to  Holman  that  Barbara  Herndon  had  not 
overpaid  him  when  she  presented  him  with  the 
emerald  ring  as  a  reward  for  his  desertion  from 
Leith.  Maru  had  no  idea  of  the  sentimental  view 
of  the  matter  which  the  youngster  took;  and  he 
thought  that  Holman's  objections  against  the  bar 
gain  were  caused  by  the  thought  that  no  services 
could  be  rendered  that  would  be  half  as  valuable 


LEITH  SCORES  233 

as  the  trinket.  The  unsentimental  savage  could 
not  imagine  that  the  unstrung  lover  wanted  the 
ring  as  a  keepsake  of  the  girl  who  had  won  his  heart 
on  board  The  Waif. 

"Caesar's  Ghost!  Why  doesn't  he  hurry?"  cried 
Holman.  "That  madman  looks  as  if  he's  going  to 
change  his  camping  ground!" 

It  looked  as  if  the  witless  one  was  really  going 
to  move,  and  Maru  had  still  some  fifty  yards  to  cover 
before  he  would  be  directly  above  the  other's  head. 
Our  nerves  were  in  such  a  state  that  we  felt  inclined 
to  scream  out  to  the  patient  stalker.  If  we  could 
grab  the  scout  we  could  probably  induce  him  by 
gentle  persuasion  to  act  as  guide,  but  if  he  escaped 
us,  we  pictured  ourselves  stumbling  over  precipices 
and  through  dark  caverns  with  the  same  lack  of 
results  as  had  marked  our  trip  to  the  place  of  skulls. 

Maru  was  decreasing  the  distance  by  inches. 
Slowly,  very  slowly,  with  all  the  serpentlike  cunning 
of  the  savage,  he  advanced  till  he  was  almost  above 
the  spot  where  the  other  stood  taking  a  survey  of  the 
jungle.  But  it  was  a  farewell  glance  for  One  Eye. 
If  Leith  had  placed  him  there  to  keep  watch  till  he 
had  reached  a  safe  position,  the  watcher  evidently 
considered  that  the  time  was  up.  He  hopped  to 
another  ledge  with  the  agility  of  a  goat,  and  Hol 
man  groaned. 

Maru    noticed    the    retreat,    and    quickened    his 


234  THE  WHITE  WATERFALL 

movements.  Dropping  cautiously  from  ledge  to 
ledge  he  crept  upon  the  other  with  the  swiftness  of  a 
leopard  creeping  upon  its  prey.  One  Eye's  deaf 
ness  left  him  at  the  mercy  of  the  shadow  in  his  rear. 
Swiftly  taking  cover  whenever  the  white  man's  head 
moved  to  the  right  or  the  left,  the  native  decreased 
the  distance,  and  we  rose  to  our  knees. 

Then  Maru  sprang.  His  muscular  right  arm 
went  round  the  neck  of  the  white,  and  we  were 
rushing  toward  the  cliff  without  waiting  to  see  the 
outcome  of  the  struggle.  The  Raretongan's  strength 
was  immense,  and  we  knew  that  the  other  could 
not  break  the  strangle  hold  that  had  been  put 
upon  him.  We  were  more  afraid  that  One  Eye 
would  be  choked  into  insensibility  before  we  reached 
the  post. 

The  big  native  was  sitting  astride  his  captive 
when  we  gained  the  ledge,  and  the  prisoner  was 
blinking  his  one  good  eye  as  he  stared  up  at  him. 
We  dropped  down  beside  him  and  took  a  look  at 
the  sun-tanned  face.  He  exhibited  no  fear,  and  the 
weak,  watery  eye  showed  no  glint  of  intelligence. 
It  was  plain  that  his  brain  was  slightly  deranged. 

Holman  jerked  him  into  a  sitting  position,  and 
with  signs  and  gestures  we  endeavoured  to  explain 
what  we  wanted  him  to  do.  Neither  of  us  under 
stood  the  deaf  and  dumb  alphabet,  but  the  alpha 
bet  was  hardly  necessary.  With  much  pantomimic 


LEITH  SCORES  235 

action  we  described  Leith,  the  Professor,  and  the  two 
girls,  and  Kaipi  enjoyed  himself  immensely  by 
waving  his  knife  in  front  of  One  Eye's  face  to  signify 
the  fate  that  awaited  him  if  he  did  not  immediately 
guide  us  to  the  spot.  The  Fijian  was  so  proud  of 
the  blade  that  he  could  hardly  be  prevented  from 
burying  an  inch  of  the  steel  in  the  prisoner's 
body. 

One  Eye,  although  obviously  half-witted,  saw 
that  Kaipi  was  only  looking  for  an  excuse  to  send 
him  to  a  more  undesirable  place  than  the  Isle  of 
Tears,  and  he  made  eager  signs  that  he  would  act 
as  our  guide.  Holman  relieved  him  of  the  revolver 
and  cartridges  he  had  in  his  pockets,  strapped  his 
arms  behind  him,  and  with  Maru's  hand  clutching 
the  collar  of  his  coat,  we  signalled  to  him  to  step 
forward  and  step  lively  if  he  wished  to  delay  his 
journey  to  the  other  world  till  his  soul  was  in  a 
better  condition.  The  sun  was  close  to  the  high 
ridges  in  the  west,  and  we  wished  to  close  with  Leith 
before  nightfall. 

One  Eye  taxed  our  climbing  powers  in  the  next 
ten  minutes.  With  the  agility  of  a  chamois  he 
scurried  along  the  narrow  ledges,  and  several  times 
Maru  was  forced  to  check  his  speed  so  that  we  could 
keep  pace  with  him.  Holman's  face  showed  the 
joy  he  felt  at  receiving  another  opportunity  to  re 
trieve  the  blunders  we  had  made  in  our  two  previous 


236  THE  WHITE  WATERFALL 

attacks.  Now  we  had  reduced  the  big  villain's 
fighting  bodyguard  to  two  persons,  Soma  and  the 
dancer,  and  if  he  had  not  impressed  the  carriers, 
we  outnumbered  him.  But  Leith  was  on  his  own 
ground,  and  we  had  already  discovered  that  the 
Isle  of  Tears  made  an  ideal  retreat  for  an  outlaw. 
The  nearly  impassable  jungle,  surrounded  by  the 
cliffs  that  were  tunnelled  with  tremendous  caverns, 
made  a  hiding  place  in  which  a  few  men  could  defy 
an  army. 

One  Eye  moved  along  the  side  of  the  cliff  for 
about  five  hundred  yards,  then  turned  into  a  small 
canon  hardly  thirty  feet  wide,  the  bottom  of  which 
was  about  twenty  yards  above  the  valley  from 
which  we  had  climbed. 

Our  intuition  told  us  that  we  were  near  the  re 
treat,  and  we  halted  the  hurrying  guide,  and  in 
the  shelter  of  a  boulder  explained  to  him  with  more 
signs  and  gestures  that  we  wished  to  proceed  with 
extreme  caution.  The  end  of  the  gulch  that  was 
not  more  than  a  stone's  throw  from  the  face  of  the 
cliff  was  already  dark  with  the  shadows  of  the  hills, 
and  as  we  suspected  that  the  opening  to  Leith's 
refuge  was  close,  we  wished  to  make  no  unnecessary 
noise  in  approaching  it.  Using  the  scattered  rocks 
as  covering,  we  advanced  slowly,  but  before  we 
reached  the  end  the  sun  had  disappeared,  and  the 
absence  of  twilight,  noticeable  in  that  latitude,  com- 


LEITH  SCORES  237 

pelled  us  to  crawl  along  in  a  darkness  that  made  it 
impossible  to  discern  any  object  that  was  more  than 
three  feet  distant.  Holman  was  on  one  side  of 
One  Eye  while  Maru  guarded  him  on  the  other 
side,  and  as  the  bottom  of  the  gorge  made  it  im 
possible  for  more  than  three  to  move  abreast, 
Kaipi  and  I  crawled  in  the  rear. 

We  were  at  One  Eye's  mercy  at  that  moment, 
but  the  idiot  appeared  to  be  much  impressed  by 
the  manner  in  which  we  had  pictured  the  sure  and 
sudden  fate  that  would  fall  upon  him  if  we  suspected 
him  of  treachery.  The  mystery  of  the  place  gripped 
us  as  we  went  forward.  High  above  us  the  stars 
looked  as  if  they  were  floating  sequins  in  a  sea  of 
dark  blue. 

But  the  stars  were  blotted  out  suddenly,  and  I 
drew  Holman's  attention  to  the  fact.  The  young 
ster  got  to  his  feet  and  groped  around  in  the  gloom, 
while  we  halted  till  he  made  an  investigation.  It 
was  impossible  to  see  the  face  of  the  half-witted 
guide  to  gain  any  information  from  his  gestures. 

Holman  stooped  and  whispered  his  finding  to  us. 
"We're  in  a  covered  passageway,"  he  murmured. 
"I  can  just  touch  the  roof  by  standing  on  tiptoe. 
As  we're  in  the  place  we  might  as  well  walk  instead 
of  crawling;  we'll  get  to  the  end  quicker." 

Maru  dragged  One  Eye  to  his  feet,  and  we  pushed 
on.  The  air  of  the  place  was  much  sweeter  than 


238  THE  WHITE  WATERFALL 

the  atmosphere  of  the  Cavern  of  Skulls.  The  floor, 
instead  of  being  covered  with  thick  dust  as  we  had 
found  it  in  the  former  place,  was  one  of  clean,  smooth 
rock,  and  the  walls  were  perfectly  dry. 

I  had  gripped  One  Eye's  left  arm  while  Holman 
was  making  the  examination  of  the  passage,  and  we 
had  not  proceeded  more  than  twenty  yards  when  he 
intimated  that  he  wished  to  turn  to  the  right.  We 
allowed  him  to  do  so,  and  for  fully  twenty  minutes 
he  followed  a  zigzag  course  that  left  us  completely 
nonplussed  as  to  the  way  we  had  come.  We  could 
hardly  count  the  number  of  the  turnings.  First 
to  the  right,  then  to  the  left,  then  back  again  toward 
the  mouth  of  the  place,  he  trotted  forward  with 
nothing  to  guide  him,  yet  when  we  checked  him  at 
certain  corners  to  find  out  if  there  was  an  angle  in 
the  path,  we  found  that  he  was  right  in  every 
instance. 

"He's  counting  the  number  of  paces  he  takes 
between  the  turnings,"  muttered  Holman.  "No 
man,  unless  he  had  the  eyes  of  a  cat,  could  find  his 
way  along  this  passage.  Keep  a  grip  on  him  or 
we'll  never  see  daylight  again." 

We  guessed  that  we  had  walked  for  over  half  a 
mile  when  the  guide  stopped  abruptly.  In  the  dark 
we  endeavoured  to  find  out  what  had  pulled  him 
up  short,  but  we  tried  in  vain.  A  prick  from  Kaipi's 
knife  blade  would  not  make  him  budge  an  inch, 


LEITH  SCORES  239 

and  we  clustered  together  and  racked  our  brains  to 
find  the  solution. 

"P'raps  we're  up  against  something,"  whispered 
Holman.  "Feel  if  there's  anything  in  front,  Verslun." 

I  walked  forward  a  pace  and  groped  in  the  black 
ness.  My  fingers  touched  solid  rock.  It  hemmed 
us  in  on  all  sides.  One  Eye  had  walked  us  to  the 
end  of  the  passage,  and  we  had  come  up  against  a 
blind  wall. 

I  whispered  the  news  to  Holman,  and  he  swore 
softly.  Maru's  fingers  tightened  on  the  collar  of 
the  prisoner  till  his  breath  came  in  short  gasps. 
Kaipi  moved  around  to  the  side  of  the  prisoner, 
but  I  pushed  him  roughly  back.  The  Fijian's  de 
sire  to  use  his  knife  on  all  occasions  was  somewhat 
irritating. 

"What'll  we  do?"  asked  Holman. 

"Get  back,"  I  answered.  "He's  either  fooled  us 
or  he's  lost  his  way. " 

Holman  gripped  One  Eye  by  the  neck  and  shook 
him  roughly.  The  youngster's  temper  was  up, 
and  it  looked  as  if  we  had  wasted  the  hours  we  had 
spent  in  capturing  the  idiot  alive,  and  the  time 
lost  in  following  behind  him  through  the  canon 
and  the  crooked  passage.  And  time  was  precious 
when  we  thought  of  the  agony  which  Edith  and 
Barbara  Herndon  were  suffering. 

In  his  temper  Holman  forgot  that  the  prisoner 


24o  THE  WHITE  WATERFALL 

was  deaf,  and  he  shouted  a  question  at  him.  "What 
the  devil  is  wrong?"  he  screamed.  "Damn  you, 
will- 

Maru  interrupted  with  a  cry  of  astonishment. 
The  wall  at  the  end  of  the  passage  appeared  to 
slide  away,  and,  standing  directly  in  front  of  us, 
his  big  frame  outlined  against  a  fire  of  brushwood 
that  blazed  behind  him,  was  Leith! 

Holman  gave  a  yell  of  rage  and  sprang  forward, 
and  Leith  turned  and  sped  into  the  gloom.  In 
his  astonishment  at  finding  himself  confronted  by 
the  enemy  when  the  stone  door  had  rolled  aside, 
Holman  had  forgotten  that  he  had  a  revolver 
in  his  possession,  and  Leith  had  passed  the 
brushwood  fire  before  I  yelled  out  to  the  youngster 
to  shoot. 

Holman  fired  immediately,  and  Leith  staggered. 
For  a  moment  we  thought  that  he  was  down,  but 
he  picked  himself  up  and  ran  on.  I  snatched  a 
blazing  pine  limb  from  the  fire  as  I  rushed  by,  and 
with  the  light  flickering  upon  the  walls  of  the  place, 
we  sped  madly  after  the  flying  figure  that  was 
barely  discernible  when  the  blazing  branch  flung  a 
splinter  of  light  into  the  gloom. 

Holman  emptied  the  revolver,  but  the  pounding 
of  Leith's  feet  that  came  back  to  us  proved  that  he 
was  still  running.  Maru  and  Kaipi  were  hallooing 
far  behind,  but  Holman  and  I  ran  side  by  side,  our 


LEITH  SCORES  241 

minds  unable  to  think  of  anything  but  the  capture 
of  the  human  tiger  in  front. 

We  were  gaining  on  him.  We  could  hear  his 
laboured  breathing,  and  I  remembered  with  a  thrill 
of  satisfaction  the  wound  that  he  had  received  the 
night  before.  It  was  only  a  question  of  time  when 
we  would  have  our  fingers  on  his  throat.  "Keep  it 
up!"  gasped  Holman.  "We've  got  him,  Verslun! 
We've  got  him!" 

It  looked  like  it.  The  red  glow  from  the  torch 
enabled  us  to  catch  an  occasional  glimpse  of  shoes 
moving  up  and  down  at  such  a  rate  that  the  limbs 
to  which  they  were  attached  always  remained  outside 
the  area  that  was  faintly  illuminated.  The  momen 
tary  view  of  the  footgear,  together  with  the  madden 
ing  plop  plop  it  made  upon  the  rock,  raised  an  insane 
idea  within  my  brain  that  we  were  chasing  a  pair 
of  bewitched  shoes  that  were  enticing  us  into  the 
very  heart  of  the  mountain.  The  scanty  diet  and 
the  happenings  of  the  two  preceding  days  had  left 
me  light-headed.  The  race  was  unreal.  I  had  an 
idea  that  the  shoes  would  run  on  forever,  and  that 
every  yard  they  covered  took  me  farther  away  from 
Edith  Herndon. 

The  flame  of  the  pine  branch  went  out,  and  we 
were  left  in  utter  darkness.  But  the  sound  of  the 
flying  feet  still  came  back  to  us.  At  times  we  were 
so  near  that  Holman  thrust  out  his  hands  as  he  ran, 


242  THE  WHITE  WATERFALL 

and  cursed  softly  as  the  sounds  seemed  to  draw 
away  from  him. 

"I'll  have  you  yet!"  he  cried.  "I'll  choke  you, 
you  devil!" 

A  chuckle  came  out  of  the  darkness  and  at  that 
instant  I  made  a  discovery.  Leith  was  not  alone. 
Keeping  time  with  the  clatter  of  the  shoes  was  a 
softer  tattoo  that  told  me  that  a  barefooted  runner 
was  racing  beside  the  man  we  were  pursuing. 

Holman  made  the  discovery  at  the  same  moment. 
"Soma, "  he  breathed,  and  he  ran  faster.  From 
some  place  that  seemed  to  be  leagues  in  the  rear 
came  the  shouts  of  Maru  and  Kaipi,  but  their  yells 
died  away,  and  we  were  convinced  that  they  had 
given  up  the  chase. 

The  plop  plop  of  the  shoes  ceased  suddenly,  and 
we  slackened  speed.  Our  brains  suggested  that 
Leith  had  stopped  abruptly  on  the  chance  of  doub 
ling  back  before  we  could  pull  up,  and  a  sweat  of 
terror  broke  out  upon  us.  If  he  doubled  success 
fully  he  would  reach  the  stone  door  through  which 
we  had  got  the  first  glimpse  of  him. 

"He's  turned!"  cried  Holman.  "We'll  get  him, 
Verslun!  After  the  —  O  God!  Look  out!" 

Holman's  warning  came  too  late.  The  rocky 
floor  over  which  we  had  been  running,  dropped  away 
from  us.  I  pitched  forward  after  the  youngster 
into  a  gulf  of  darkness,  landed  on  my  shoulder  upon 


LEITH  SCORES  243 

a  mass  of  volcanic  ash,  and  clutching  vainly  at  the 
stuff,  I  rolled  at  tremendous  speed  down  into  the 
bowels  of  the  earth.  From  far  above  us  came 
the  sounds  of  uncontrolled  merriment  —  the  high- 
pitched  shrieks  of  a  native  rising  above  the  deep 
bass  laughter  of  Leith. 


CHAPTER  XX 

THE    BLACK    KINDERGARTEN 

I  THOUGHT  we  were  a  thousand  years  rolling 
down  that  slope  of  smothering  ash.  It  was  a 
quicksand  that  melted  beneath  us.  We  drove 
our  arms  into  it,  but  the  stuff  slipped  away  like  fine 
wood  ash,  and  we  went  on  and  on.  I  knew  Holman 
was  in  front  of  me.  Occasionally  a  curse  directed 
at  Leith  managed  to  slip  out  when  his  mouth  was 
not  filled  with  the  smothering  dust.  Once  I  shouted 
at  him,  and  he  answered  the  cry  with  a  groan  that 
told  me  how  the  happening  had  affected  him.  The 
arch  ruffian  had  checkmated  us  for  the  third  time 
inside  three  days. 

We  struck  the  bottom  at  last,  and,  like  moles,  we 
clawed  our  way  out  of  the  pile  of  soft,  feathery  stuff 
that  came  streaming  down  upon  us  like  a  river,  and 
for  some  minutes  we  were  busy  wiping  the  fluffy 

244 


THE  BLACK  KINDERGARTEN  245 

ash  from  mouth  and  eyes  and  ears.  It  clung  to 
us  like  down,  and  with  each  breath  we  drew  it  into 
our  lungs  till  we  coughed  and  sneezed  from  the 
irritation  it  produced.  Struggling  forward,  knee- 
deep  in  the  fine,  dry  powder,  we  reached  a  spot  that 
was  practically  clear,  and  for  five  minutes  we  were 
busy  endeavouring  to  relieve  our  tortured  lungs. 

"How  far  did  we  roll?"  asked  Holman. 

"About  half  a  mile,"  I  replied. 

"But  straight,  Verslun!     What  do  you  think?  " 

"Over  a  hundred  yards;  I'm  certain  of  that." 

"Well,  I'm  going  to  climb  back." 

"You  can't  do  it!"  I  gasped.  "That  stuff  is 
like  quicksand." 

"All  the  same  I'm  going  to  make  a  try." 

We  stumbled  back  to  the  gigantic  ash  pile,  and 
shoulder  to  shoulder  we  made  a  rush  at  the  immense 
mountain  down  which  we  had  rolled.  We  couldn't 
see  it,  but  we  felt  it  rise  around  us  like  a  flood  as  our 
legs  sank  deeper.  It  came  up  to  our  waists  —  to 
our  armpits,  choking  and  smothering  us.  Coming 
down  we  had  rolled  lightly  over  its  surface,  now  our 
legs  bored  into  it  like  rods,  and  we  struggled  vainly 
to  move.  The  pile  was  like  a  high  snowdrift  into 
which  we  sank  deeper  and  deeper  the  more  we 
struggled,  and,  worn  out  with  our  efforts,  we  fought 
our  way  clear  of  the  smothering  ash  and  made  an 
attempt  to  review  the  situation. 


246  THE  WHITE  WATERFALL 

"He's  beat  us,"  groaned  Holman.  "He  just  trotted 
ahead  of  us  till  he  had  us  on  the  verge  of  the  thing, 
and  then  he  side-stepped.  O  God!  What  asses  we 
have  been!" 

"We  did  our  best,"  I  said. 

"Our  best?"  repeated  Holman.  "And  the  man 
who  tells  you  that  he  did  his  best  as  an  excuse  for 
failure  should  be  shot,  Verslun." 

"We  couldn't  tell  that  this  infernal  trench  was  in 
front,"  I  grumbled. 

"Then  we  shouldn't  have  chased  him  like  a  brace  of 
madmen.  I  wonder  if  Maru  and  Kaipi  came  near  it?" 

"We  might  call  out,  perhaps  they'd  hear." 

Holman  yelled  the  names  of  the  two  natives  into 
the  gloom  above  us,  but  his  yells  only  started  a 
million  echoes  rolling  through  the  tremendous  fissure 
in  which  we  were  prisoners. 

"They  turned  back,"  said  Holman.  "They  had 
sense  enough  to  stay  with  One  Eye;  we  hadn't." 

It  was  no  use  arguing  with  the  youngster.  He 
denounced  our  stupidity  till  his  tongue  was  too  dry 
to  utter  the  charges  his  half-crazed  brain  made 
against  us. 

To  divert  his  thoughts  I  proposed  that  we  make 
an  attempt  to  explore  the  place,  and  without  mak 
ing  any  choice  regarding  direction  we  moved  into 
the  inky  darkness. 

"We'll  take  it  in  turns  to  lead,"  said  Holman 


THE  BLACK  KINDERGARTEN  247 

gruffly.  "Then  if  one  of  us  topples  over  a  precipice 
the  other  has  a  chance  to  save  himself.  I'll  take 
first  try  at  it,  and  if  I  find  that  I  have  pushed  my 
foot  into  a  hole  I'll  yell  out  a  warning." 

I  agreed,  and  we  moved  forward  slowly.  The 
chances  of  ever  finding  our  way  out  of  that  place 
seemed  small  at  that  moment.  Leith  had  put  us 
in  a  spot  where  we  would  not  be  likely  to  trouble 
him  for  some  time,  and  with  bitterness  in  our  hearts 
we  staggered  along  in  the  dark,  alternately  damning 
the  treachery  of  the  ruffian  and  our  own  stupidity. 
We  had  tried  to  exercise  caution,  but  when  we 
reviewed  our  actions,  it  seemed,  as  Holman  had  re 
marked,  that  we  had  used  the  judgment  of  children. 

"Why  didn't  we  wait  at  the  door  of  that  place  till 
the  brute  came  out?"  he  asked. 

I  had  no  answer  to  give  to  the  question,  and  after 
an  interval  of  silence  he  fired  others  at  me. 

"Why  did  you  let  go  of  One  Eye?  Why  didn't 
we  examine  the  cavern  near  the  fire  before  chasing 
him?  The  girls  might  have  been  somewhere  near 
the  fire!  Do  you  think  they  were?" 

"I  don't  think  so,"  I  answered,  trying  to  soothe 
him.  "I  think  Leith  was  the  only  person  at  the 
fire.  He  picked  Soma  up  just  before  we  reached 
the  gulf." 

"But  where  are  they?  Where  has  the  devil  put 
them?" 


248  THE  WHITE  WATERFALL 

"God  alone  knows!"  I  cried.  "Here,  it's  my 
turn  to  take  the  lead." 

In  silence  we  went  stumbling  on  into  the  appalling 
blackness.  We  could  not  see  the  dim  outlines  of 
each  other  when  we  stood  only  a  few  inches  apart. 
The  darkness  of  the  Cavern  of  Skulls  had  been  re 
lieved  by  the  silver  skewers  of  moonlight,  but  in 
the  night  that  rolled  around  us  there  was  not  a 
single  gleam  of  light. 

We  had  no  matches.  Everything  that  was  in 
our  pockets  had  been  jolted  out  during  the  mad 
jaunt  to  the  stone  table,  and  now  the  revolver  and 
cartridges  which  we  had  taken  from  One  Eye  had 
been  lost  by  Holman  during  the  slide  down  the 
mountain  of  volcanic  ash  that  brought  us  to  the 
bottom  of  the  underground  prison. 

We  plodded  on  for  about  an  hour,  then  stopped 
simultaneously.  At  first  I  thought  that  the  horror 
of  the  situation  had  affected  my  brain,  but  the  fact 
that  Holman  had  stopped  abruptly  at  the  same 
moment  as  I  did  choked  back  the  cold  fear  that  had 
rushed  upon  me.  I  was  not  insane!  Holman  was 
listening  too!  I  seemed  to  feel  that  the  tiny  thread 
of  sound  which  had  set  my  pulses  beating  madly 
had  also  keyed  him  up  to  the  highest  tension. 

After  a  minute  of  intense  silence  he  put  a  question. 

"Did  you  hear  anything?" 

"Did  you?"  I  stammered. 


THE  BLACK  KINDERGARTEN  249 

"Are  we  mad,  Verslun?"  he  asked  hoarsely.  "I 
thought  -  He  stopped  and  moved  close  to 

me.  I  heard  his  quick  breathing  as  he  groped  to 
find  me. 

"Verslun,  did  you  hear?"  he  whispered,  gripping 
my  arm.  "I  heard  her  speak." 

"I  thought  I  did,"  I  breathed.  "Perhaps  —  per 
haps  it  was  an  echo." 

For  a  few  minutes  we  stood,  our  ears  searching 
for  the  sound  that  had  disturbed  us.  We  seemed 
afraid  to  call  out  —  afraid  to  quench  the  little  spark 
of  hope  which  had  suddenly  flared  up  in  the  despair 
that  filled  our  breasts.  We  knew  that  our  ears  had 
lied,  and  we  tried  to  lengthen  the  thrill  by  remain 
ing  perfectly  silent. 

The  sound  came  again,  and  Holman  sent  a  wild 
cry  into  the  night  that  hemmed  us  in.  We  were 
not  insane!  The  spark  of  hope  blazed  as  we  rushed 
headlong  forward.  The  silvery  voice  of  Barbara 
Herndon  had  come  to  us  again  through  the  ter 
rible  gloom! 


CHAPTER  XXI 

TOGETHER  AGAIN 

IT  IS  impossible  to  set  down  any  statement  that 
will  enable  the  reader  to  form  a  mental  picture 
of  the  meeting  which  took  place  in  that  spot 
of  eternal  night.     Hands  groped  for  hands  in  the 
darkness,  and  sobs  and  cries  and  words  of  comfort 
went    out    into    the    silence.     Edith    and    Barbara 
Herndon    wept,    the    Professor    shrieked    out    de 
nunciations    of    Leith,    and    Holman    and    I    were 
nearly    choked    by    the    lumps    that    rose    in    our 
throats. 

Explanations  came  in  broken  sentences.  The 
Professor's  anger  prevented  him  from  giving  the 
story  in  detail,  and  the  girls  were  not  in  a  condi- 

250 


TOGETHER  AGAIN  251 

tion  to  give  a  lucid  account  of  their  sufferings  since 
the  night  we  had  left  them  to  investigate  the  light 
in  the  hills.  We  gathered  from  the  hysterical 
utterances,  however,  that  Leith  had  rushed  them  to 
the  hills  on  hearing  from  the  escaped  dancer  that 
we  had  dodged  the  fate  he  intended  for  us  when  he 
had  dispatched  us  to  the  table  of  the  centipede.  The 
reduction  in  his  bodyguard  caused  him  to  make 
immediately  for  the  secret  retreat,  and  as  he  con 
sidered  it  inadvisable  to  press  his  argument  with 
the  Professor  and  Edith  at  that  moment,  he  had 
lowered  his  three  prisoners  into  the  devil  chamber 
into  which  we  had  accidentally  fallen. 

"This  is  the  place  you  mentioned  to  me  the 
night  you  left  the  camp,"  said  the  Professor. 

"We  mentioned?"  repeated  Holman  in  amaze 
ment.  "We  didn't  know  the  place  existed  till  we 
rolled  into  it!" 

"But  you  read  it  out  of  the  note  that  Soma 
dropped,"  cried  the  scientist.  "Don't  you  remem 
ber  where  he  threatened  to  put  the  five  babies  ? " 

"The  Black  Kindergarten!"  I  stammered. 

"The  Black  Kindergarten,"  said  the  old  man. 
"That  is  what  the  inhuman  brute  called  the  place 
when  he  lowered  us  into  it.  We  are  to  stay  here 
till  I  sign  papers  that  will  give  him  possession  of 
my  property,  and  till  —  till  Edith  consents  to 
marry  him!" 


252  THE  WHITE  WATERFALL 

He  flung  the  words  out  into  the  stillness,  and  for 
a  few  minutes  no  one  spoke.  The  horror  of  the 
situation  had  the  same  effect  upon  me  as  a  blow 
from  a  sandbag.  Three  days  before,  we  were  in 
possession  of  Leith's  letter  to  the  one-eyed  man,  in 
which  he  had  remarked  that  we  would  be  occupants 
of  the  place  of  eternal  night,  and  yet  we  had  not  been 
able  to  avert  the  fate  which  the  brute  had  in  store 
for  us  in  case  the  Professor  and  Edith  Herndon  re 
fused  to  consider  his  villainous  proposals.  The 
Professor's  money  and  the  girl's  hand!  The  words 
made  me  physically  sick,  and  I  sat  down  upon  the 
floor  of  the  place  till  the  dizziness  had  passed  from 
my  brain. 

"And  food?"  Holman  put  the  question,  but  the 
words  seemed  to  come  to  me  from  a  great  distance. 

"He  told  us  he  would  lower  it  to  us  once  a  day  till 
we  —  till  we  came  to  our  senses,"  said  Edith  Hern 
don  quietly.  "We  received  our  first  supply  some 
hours  ago." 

She  tried  to  speak  bravely,  but  the  little  catch  in 
her  voice  belied  the  courageous  front  which  she 
endeavoured  to  assume  under  cover  of  the  darkness. 
Barbara  was  silent,  except  for  an  occasional  sob  which 
she  was  unable  to  stifle,  while  the  Professor  poured 
forth  his  story  of  Leith's  deception  when  he  first 
met  him  in  Sydney,  and  where  the  big  scoundrel 
had  poured  into  the  ears  of  the  laurel-hungry 


TOGETHER  AGAIN  253 

scientist  the  tales  of  skulls  and  ruins  which  he  would 
find  upon  the  Isle  of  Tears.  The  skulls  and  ruins 
were  there,  but  it  looked  as  if  we  would  add  our  own 
skeletons  to  the  crumbling  bones  of  the  long-dead 
Polynesians,  the  peculiarities  of  whose  whitened 
brain  cases  were  to  supply  the  subject  matter  of 
the  learned  treatise  that  was  to  bring  fame  to  the 
archaeologist.  It  was  an  indescribably  mournful 
reunion.  We  could  not  see  each  other,  and  when 
silence  fell  upon  us  I  had  a  horrible  sensation  that 
the  choking,  depressing  darkness  of  the  place  was 
wafting  Edith  Herndon  away  from  me.  I  longed 
to  find  and  clasp  the  hand  that  had  taken  mine  the 
night  on  board  The  Waif  when  I  made  an  offer  of 
my  services. 

The  Professor  had  explained  that  the  opening 
through  which  they  had  been  lowered  was  immedi 
ately  above  their  heads.  They  had  not  moved  from 
the  spot  lest  they  would  not  be  able  to  find  it  again 
to  obtain  the  food  which  Leith  had  promised  to 
send  till  they  saw  fit  to  accede  to  his  proposals,  and 
when  Holman  suggested  moving  forward  upon  a 
tour  of  investigation  the  old  man  combated  the 
idea  vigorously. 

"We  will  lose  ourselves,  and  we  will  never  be 
able  to  find  our  way  back  here  to  get  the  food," 
he  cried. 

"But  we  will  never  get  out  by  remaining  here," 


254  THE  WHITE  WATERFALL 

said  Holman.  "If  he  has  made  the  acceptance  of 
those  proposals  the  only  grounds  upon  which  he 
will  grant  you  your  liberty,  I  don't  see  that  it  will 
serve  any  good  to  remain  here  taking  the  food  he 
throws  down." 

"That's  true,"  murmured  Edith,  and  I  blessed 
her  mentally  for  the  calm  way  in  which  she  had 
uttered  the  words.  The  surrounding  darkness  had 
no  terrors  for  her  in  comparison  to  the  fate  that 
awaited  her  above.  The  manner  in  which  she  spoke 
of  the  sallow-faced  rogue  convinced  me  that  the 
proposals  that  had  been  made  since  the  time  that 
Leith  had  shone  out  in  his  true  colours  had  produced 
a  terror  which  she  endeavoured  to  hide  from  her 
father  and  sister. 

But  the  dark  terrified  the  Professor.  Although 
he  viewed  Leith's  proposals  with  the  greatest  ab 
horrence,  the  hole  above  his  head  appeared  to  him  to 
be  the  only  path  back  to  the  outer  world,  and  he 
was  afraid  to  stray. 

"There  might  be  another  way  out  of  the  place," 
said  Holman.  "Can  Verslun  and  I  make  the  at 
tempt  and  leave  you  three  here?" 

"No,  no!"  cried  Barbara.  "Please  stay  here 
with  us!" 

"I  think  it  will  be  better  if  we  remain  together," 
said  Edith.  "If  you  and  Mr.  Verslun  did  discover 
an  opening  it  would  be  exceedingly  difficult  to  find 


TOGETHER  AGAIN  255 

your  way  back  here,  and  if  you  got  out  of  this  place 
you  might  not  be  able  to  reach  the  opening  through 
which  we  were  lowered.  Perhaps  the  way  to  it  is 
known  only  to  Leith." 

Edith's  argument  was  sound.  Our  finding  them 
in  that  black  cavern  was  purely  an  accident,  and 
it  was  hardly  probable  that  Holman  and  myself 
would  be  able  to  find  our  way  back  to  the  spot  if 
we  went  off  on  a  tour  of  investigation.  Personally 
I  had  no  desire  to  leave  the  girls.  Leith's  deviltry 
had  so  impressed  me  that  I  considered  him  capable 
of  anything,  and  if  he  thought  we  were  out  of  the 
way,  I  had  no  doubt  that  he  would  take  immediate 
steps  to  break  down  the  courage  of  the  Professor  and 
his  daughters  by  means  that  were  familiar  to  him. 
I  could  well  understand  that  Edith  Herndon's  love 
for  her  father  would  compel  her  to  sacrifice  herself 
if  she  saw  the  aged  Professor  in  front  of  the  great 
stone  centipede,  and  that  might  happen  at  any 
moment  now  that  Leith  considered  that  he  had  dis 
posed  of  all  active  opposition. 

For  hours  we  debated  the  matter,  and  finally 
the  Professor  was  won  over.  He  agreed  to  move 
forward  on  an  inspection  tour  of  the  vast  sub 
terranean  place  the  moment  the  next  supply  of  food 
came  from  above,  and  we  waited  anxiously.  Dur 
ing  the  wait  Holman  and  I  made  short  trips  into 
the  darkness,  but  we  were  careful  that  we  did  not 


256  THE  WHITE  WATERFALL 

get  out  of  the  hearing  of  the  two  girls,  who  called 
at  intervals  so  that  we  would  be  able  to  find  our 
way  back.  The  place  was  awe-inspiring.  Its  size 
could  only  be  guessed  at.  Stones  that  were  flung 
in  a  certain  direction  where  the  floor  sloped  gradually 
downward  could  be  heard  rolling  for  many  minutes 
after  they  left  our  hands. 

We  guessed  that  it  was  early  morning  when  we 
heard  from  Leith.  A  blazing  torch  illuminated  a 
round  hole  about  seventy  feet  above  our  heads,  and 
Holman  and  I  immediately  remained  quiet  so  that 
the  big  scoundrel  would  be  in  ignorance  of  the  re 
union.  There  was  no  possibility  of  the  torchlight 
making  our  presence  known.  It  would  take  a  score 
of  torches  to  enable  him  to  see  us. 

Leith  thrust  his  head  over  the  edge  of  the  hole  while 
Soma  held  the  torch,  and,  with  a  coarse  laugh,  the  ruf 
fian  inquired  if  his  victims  had  changed  their  minds. 

"No,  we  have  not,"  replied  the  Professor,  his  thin, 
quavering  voice  sounding  strangely  weak  after  the 
deep-throated  bellow  of  the  bully  on  top. 

"Well,  you'll  change  it  soon,"  cried  Leith.  "I'll 
leave  you  down  there  for  another  day  or  two,  and 
then  I'll  get  you  up  to  do  some  stunts.  Mind  you, 
I  mean  a  proper  marriage  with  Miss  Edith,  Pro 
fessor!  The  Waif  will  run  us  up  to  the  German  mis 
sionary  station  while  you  take  charge  here  for  your 
affectionate  son-in-law." 


TOGETHER  AGAIN  257 

I  opened  my  mouth  to  fling  an  answer  at  the 
taunting  scoundrel,  but  Holman  surmised  my  in 
tention  and  begged  me  to  hold  my  tongue. 

"They'll  get  no  food  if  you  cry  out!"  he  whis 
pered.  "Don't  speak  to  him,  man!" 

The  Professor  made  no  answer  to  the  offensive 
remark,  and  after  a  few  minutes'  silence  Leith  drew 
back,  and  Soma  started  to  lower  a  bundle  of  food 
into  the  dark  prison. 

"That  rope  might  prove  useful,"  whispered  Hol 
man.  "Feel  around  and  see  if  you  can  get  hold  of  it 
before  he  pulls  it  up." 

The  light  of  the  torch  which  Leith  held  only  illu 
minated  about  six  feet  of  the  rope  as  the  native 
passed  it  into  the  prison,  so  Holman  and  I,  standing 
directly  under  the  opening,  felt  around  in  the  dark 
ness  as  the  bundle  of  food  came  toward  the  ground. 

"I  have  it!"  murmured  Holman.  "Wait  till  he 
unhooks  the  bundle." 

We  let  the  rope  run  through  our  hands  till  the 
package  of  food  touched  the  rock  floor.  The  line 
had  a  small  hook  upon  the  end,  and  the  moment 
Soma  felt  that  the  parcel  had  reached  the  bottom 
of  the  place,  he  dexterously  unhooked  it  with  a 
slight  jerk  and  started  to  haul  in. 

"Now!"  whispered  the  youngster.  "A  big  pull! 
We  might  bring  the  nigger  through  the  hole!" 

We  went  very  close  to  performing  the  feat.     The 


258  THE  WHITE  WATERFALL 

jolt  took  the  native  unawares;  he  fell  forward  on 
his  knees  and  barely  saved  himself  from  dropping 
into  the  opening.  The  rope  came  toward  us  with 
a  run,  but  as  we  pulled  furiously  it  stopped  with 
a  sudden  jerk,  and  we  knew  that  the  other  end  was 
tied  to  some  projection  on  the  surface. 

Leith  laughed  derisively,  and  the  laugh  mad 
dened  Holman.  He  clutched  the  rope  and  started 
to  climb  rapidly  upward.  I  couldn't  see  him,  but 
I  felt  his  shoes  as  he  wriggled  away  into  the  darkness 
above  me,  and  I  held  my  breath.  I  gripped  the 
rope  and  kept  it  taut  so  that  Leith  and  Soma  might 
not  discover  the  ruse. 

But  Leith  had  more  cunning  than  we  credited 
him  with.  After  a  futile  pull  at  the  rope  he  thrust 
the  pine  torch  through  the  hole,  and  as  it  dropped 
into  the  cavern  it  illuminated  the  figure  of  Holman, 
who  was  then  about  fifteen  feet  from  the  floor. 
"Cut  the  rope!"  roared  the  ruffian.  "Quick,  Soma! 
Cut  the  rope  and  break  the  —  -  fool's  neck!" 

Holman,  realizing  that  it  was  impossible  to  reach 
the  top,  saved  himself  a  nasty  fall  by  sliding  down 
the  rope  while  the  native  slashed  at  it,  but  he  had 
not  touched  the  floor  when  the  ninety  feet  cf 
strong  manilla  came  whirling  down  through  the 
darkness.  And  the  rope  was  not  the  only  gift  we 
received.  Angry  at  discovering  that  we  had  escaped 
death  in  our  plunge  into  the  place,  Leith  poured 


TOGETHER  AGAIN  259 

forth  a  stream  of  blasphemy  that  outdid  the  effort 
he  had  made  when  kicking  Holman  and  me  on  the 
afternoon  the  youngster  had  wounded  him.  He 
cursed  us  till  the  shocked  Professor  dragged  his  two 
daughters  away  out  of  hearing,  and  there  we  found 
the  three  when  we  had  gathered  up  the  rope  and 
the  food. 

"We  might  as  well  make  a  try  to  explore  the 
place,"  said  Holman.  "The  scoundrel  says  that  he 
will  not  send  down  any  more  food  till  you  accept  his 
proposals." 

"Then  we'll  never  get  any,"  said  Edith  Herndon 
quietly.  "I  pray  that  God  will  show  us  the  way  out 
of  this  place." 


CHAPTER  XXII 


THE    WHITE    WATERFALL 

WE  FOUND  the  rope  exceedingly  useful  now 
that  we  had  decided  to  explore  the  place 
in  search  of  a  way  out.  It  was  reasonable 
to  think  that  the  floor  of  the  cavern  would  contain 
innumerable  fissures  into  which  we  might  fall,  and 
to  guard  against  this  we  decided  to  make  a  life  line 
out  of  the  thirty  yards  of  manilla  we  had  luckily 
obtained.  Allowing  about  five  yards  of  rope  be 
tween  each  two  persons,  I  tied  it  in  turn  around 
the  waist  of  Holman,  Barbara,  the  Professor,  Edith, 
and  myself,  and  being  thus  prepared  against  a  pre 
cipice  in  our  path,  Holman  took  the  lead  and  we 
followed  in  single  file  as  the  tightening  of  the  rope 
informed  each  one  that  the  immediate  leader  was  a 
safe  distance  in  front. 

"Is  there  any  choice  of  direction?"  asked  Hol 
man,  pausing  after  he  had  taken  half  a  dozen  steps. 

260 


THE  WHITE  WATERFALL  261 

"I  don't  think  so,"  I  said.  "Unless  some  one  has 
an  intuition  regarding  the  path  to  liberty." 

"Please  let  me  pick  the  route,"  murmured  Edith. 
"I  am  stretching  out  my  arm,  Mr.  Holman;  will 
you  come  here  to  me  and  feel  the  direction  I  am 
pointing  in?" 

We  clustered  round  the  girl,  each  one  feeling  her 
outstretched  arm  and  then  turning  quickly  toward 
the  point  indicated.  I  was  glad  that  no  one  could 
see  my  own  face  at  that  moment.  It  was  pathetic 
to  think  of  any  one  choosing  a  route  in  that  abyss  of 
horror,  and  the  trouble  which  the  girl  took  to  make 
sure  that  Holman  would  move  off  in  the  direction 
she  pointed  brought  tears  to  my  eyes. 

"I  —  I  might  be  silly  in  thinking  it,"  she  stam 
mered,  "but  I  believe  —  oh,  please,  Mr.  Holman, 
try  and  walk  in  the  direction  I  pointed  in!" 

"I  certainly  will  try,"  said  the  youngster.  "If 
I  go  wrong,  you  put  me  right,  will  you?  I  believe 
somehow  that  we're  going  to  find  a  way  out.  I  don't 
know  the  right  path  to  it,  but  I've  got  a  premonition 
we'll  find  it.  Now  we're  off  again." 

We  moved  forward  with  anxious  footsteps.  Im 
agination  furrowed  the  floor  of  that  place  with 
bottomless  crevices,  and  the  cold  hand  of  fear 
gripped  our  hearts.  It  required  a  mental  effort 
to  move  one  foot  past  the  other,  and  whenever 
one  of  the  girls  stumbled,  her  little  cry  of  alarm 


262  THE  WHITE  WATERFALL 

brought  untold  agony  to  Holman  and  myself  as 
we  took  a  grip  of  the  rope  and  braced  ourselves 
against  the  happening  which  our  excited  minds 
expected  any  moment.  We  were  walking  hand  in 
hand  with  dread  —  a  dread  that  became  greater 
when  we  thought  that  a  false  step  of  ours  might 
drag  to  death  the  two  women  that  we  loved. 

On,  and  on,  and  on,  we  bored  into  the  horrible 
night.  With  blind  footsteps  we  walked  fearfully 
through  the  Stygian  waves  that  rolled  around  us. 
The  place  seemed  to  be  of  enormous  size,  and  in 
the  dead  silence  that  surrounded  us  our  footsteps 
woke  clattering  echoes  that  appeared  to  mock  our 
efforts  to  escape. 

The  air  in  places  had  a  strange  odour  that  re 
minded  us  of  camphor.  This  peculiar  smell  seemed 
to  be  in  certain  stratas  of  the  atmosphere  through 
which  we  passed,  and  whenever  our  passage  through 
these  scented  layers  was  unduly  prolonged,  we 
experienced  a  sensation  that  I  can  only  liken  to  the 
near  approach  of  seasickness.  It  made  the  girls  sick 
and  faint,  but  they  walked  on  without  complaining. 

We  struck  the  wall  of  the  place  after  we  had  been 
walking  for  a  period  that  we  judged  to  be  about 
three  hours,  and  we  decided  to  rest  for  a  while.  We 
sat  close  together  upon  the  cold  floor  and  endeav 
oured  to  cheer  each  other's  spirits  by  constantly 
asserting  that  the  air  of  the  place  made  it  reasonable 


THE  WHITE  WATERFALL  263 

to  suppose  that  there  must  be  some  other  entrance 
besides  the  hole  through  which  Leith  had  lowered 
the  three,  and  the  fissure  through  which  Holman 
and  I  had  rolled  down  the  gigantic  ash  pile.  And 
the  assertions  seemed  logical.  The  two  entrances 
that  we  knew  of  opened  into  Leith's  retreat,  and  it 
was  hard  to  think  that  the  air  supply  of  the  enor 
mous  cavern  in  which  we  were  wandering  could  come 
through  those  two  openings.  We  combatted  our 
fears  with  this  argument  as  we  ate  a  morsel  of  the 
food  we  had  received  that  morning,  and  feeling  that 
he  who  has  the  biggest  stock  of  hope  has  the  biggest 
grip  upon  life,  we  endeavoured  to  make  light  of  our 
misfortunes  as  we  stumbled  on  again  after  a  short 
rest. 

But  that  impenetrable  night  produced  a  depres 
sion  that  we  could  not  shake  off.  Imagination 
sprang  ahead  of  the  moment  and  pictured  our  final 
struggles.  We  fought  with  the  nightmares  that 
entered  our  minds,  and  conversation  languished. 
We  couldn't  speak  while  the  mental  canvases  were 
being  rapidly  coloured  with  scenes  depicting  our  end 
in  the  darkness  and  the  silence,  where  a  grim  fate 
would  even  deny  one  a  last  look  at  a  dearly  loved 
face.  A  silence  came  upon  us  that  had  the  same 
effect  as  intense  cold.  Each  in  his  own  frozen  husk 
of  despair  plodded  forward  with  the  idea  that  the 
others  were  so  engrossed  in  their  own  thoughts 


264  THE  WHITE  WATERFALL 

that  they  were  not  inclined  to  answer  when  ad 
dressed.  The  darkness  so  completely  isolated  each 
person  that  after  some  hours  of  silence  it  required 
a  tremendous  effort  to  thoroughly  convince  the  mind 
that  one  was  walking  with  living  people  and  not  with 
phantoms. 

It  was  after  one  of  these  intervals  of  silence  that 
Barbara  Herndon  made  a  discovery  that  chilled  our 
blood.  She  made  some  commonplace  remark  to  her 
sister  and  received  no  reply.  She  repeated  the 
observation,  but  it  brought  no  comment.  The  hap 
pening  seemed  to  drag  the  rest  of  us  from  the  strange 
torpor,  and  we  stopped.  We  sensed  that  Barbara 
Herndon  was  feeling  her  way  toward  her  sister,  and 
presently  the  younger  girl  gave  a  shriek  of  alarm  that 
stirred  a  million  echoes  in  that  place  of  terror. 

"Edith!"  she  shrieked.  "Edith!  Edith!  Where 
are  you?" 

Holman  and  I  clawed  fiercely  upon  the  rope,  mov 
ing  toward  each  other  in  an  effort  to  find  a  quick 
solution  for  the  mystery.  We  collided  violently 
as  we  reached  the  spot  where  the  rope  had  circled 
Edith  Herndon's  waist,  and  we  stood,  stunned  and 
speechless,  as  we  fingered  the  cord.  In  some  man 
ner,  probably  severed  by  a  knifelike  projection  of 
rock,  the  loop  which  I  had  knotted  around  her  body 
had  been  cut  through,  and  the  rope  had  fallen  un 
noticed  from  the  waist  of  the  weary  girl! 


THE  WHITE  WATERFALL  265 

"Great  God!"  I  cried.  "Where  did  we  lose  her? 
What  way  did  we  come?" 

The  questions  were  ridiculous.  The  numbing  in 
fluence  of  the  place  had  made  us  walk  for  an  hour 
or  so  in  complete  silence,  and  it  was  impossible  to 
say  when  she  had  lost  her  position  in  the  line.  And 
now,  as  we  moved  round  and  round,  endeavouring 
to  peer  into  the  blackness,  we  lost  all  sense  of  direc 
tion.  Each  had  a  different  notion  about  the  way 
we  had  come.  While  we  were  moving  forward, 
our  combined  efforts  to  walk  straight  ahead  made 
it  impossible  for  one  to  turn  and  go  in  an  opposite 
direction,  but  in  the  few  moments  of  our  excitement 
as  we  turned  and  twisted  in  clawing  for  the  loop 
where  Edith  had  been  tied,  we  became  bewildered. 
We  didn't  know  in  which  direction  to  turn  in  search 
ing  for  the  lost  one! 

"What'll  we  do?"  cried  the  Professor.  "Do  some 
thing!  Quick!  Find  her!  Find  her!" 

I  took  a  great  breath  and  yelled  her  name  into 
the  darkness.  The  sound  thundered  through  the 
place  like  the  noise  made  by  a  freight  train.  Again 
and  again  I  screamed  it,  and  the  million  devils  in 
the  place  shrieked  the  name  in  mockery.  I  exhausted 
myself  in  my  mad  efforts  to  send  my  voice  to  her  ears. 

Holman  gripped  my  arm  when  I  had  worked  my 
self  into  an  insane  frenzy,  and  he  begged  me  to  be 
quiet. 


266  THE  WHITE  WATERFALL 

"Barbara  thought  she  heard  an  answer,"  he  cried. 
"Listen !  There  it  is  again ! " 

It  was  Edith!  Her  voice  came  to  us  like  a  thread 
of  silver,  and  with  no  thought  of  the  bottomless 
crevices  that  might  be  in  our  path,  we  charged 
blindly  toward  the  spot  from  which  her  cry  had 
come. 

It  seemed  ages  before  we  met  her.  The  sounds 
puzzled  us,  but  at  last  we  gripped  her  hands,  and 
the  Professor  and  Barbara,  hysterical  with  joy, 
sobbed  their  thanks  into  the  gloom. 

"I  don't  know  how  the  rope  became  undone," 
cried  Edith.  "I  didn't  find  out  that  I  had  become 
separated  from  the  rest  of  you  till  I  attempted  to 
draw  your  attention  to  the  waterfall." 

"To  the  what?"  I  questioned. 

"To  the  waterfall,"  repeated  the  girl.  "Did  you 
pass  it?  It  is  a  beautiful  little  waterfall,  and  the 
water  flows  over  a  white  limestone  rock  that  makes 
it  sparkle  like  so  many  fireflies  in  the  dark." 

I  cannot  explain  what  happened  to  me  at  that 
moment.  Some  veil  within  my  mind  was  torn  away 
by  the  few  words  that  the  girl  had  uttered.  I  was 
back  upon  Levuka  wharf,  lying  under  the  copra 
bag  where  Holman  had  found  me,  and  for  a  moment 
I  could  not  speak  as  the  subconscious  mind  flung 
a  score  of  half-forgotten  incidents  into  my  conscious 
area. 


THE  WHITE  WATERFALL  267 

"It  is  the  White  Waterfall!"  I  yelled.  "It  is  the 
White  Waterfall  that  the  Maori  sang  of  on  the 
wharf  at  Levuka!  He  was  warning  Toni,  and  Toni 
was  killed  by  Soma  because  he  knew!  It  is  the  way 
out!  We're  saved!  We're  saved!  It  is  on  the  road 
to  heaven  out  of  Black  Fernando's  hell!" 


CHAPTER  XXIII 

THE  WIZARDS'   SEAT 

AWE  stumbled  toward  the  spot  from  which 
came  the  sounds  of  running  water,  the  in 
cidents  of  the  preceding  ten  days  seemed 
to  be  dropping  into  their  places  within  my  brain  like 
the  pieces  of  a  picture  puzzle  that  has  suddenly  be 
come  plain  to  the  eye  of  the  child  who  is  putting  it 
together.  I  understood!  My  brain  seemed  burst 
ing  within  my  skull.  It  appeared  to  me  that  God,  in 
his  own  way,  had  made  me  a  blind  instrument  to  do 
his  work.  The  big  Maori  on  the  wharf  at  Levuka 
knew  of  the  hell  upon  the  Isle  of  Tears.  The  Maori 
had  warned  Toni,  the  little  Fijian,  but  fear  of  what 
might  happen  to  any  one  possessing  the  knowledge 

268 


THE  WIZARDS'  SEAT  269 

had  made  Toni  deny  that  he  was  the  companion  of 
the  Maori  when  he  was  questioned  before  and  after 
he  had  reached  The  Waif.  In  a  burst  of  confidence 
he  had  confessed  the  truth  to  me  on  the  afternoon 
after  I  had  saved  him  from  being  washed  over 
board,  but  the  confession  had  been  made  in  the 
presence  of  Soma,  and,  as  Kaipi  asserted,  it  had  cost 
Toni  his  life.  Leith,  alias  Black  Fernando,  had  or 
dered  the  big  Kanaka  to  put  the  possessor  of  such 
important  information  out  of  the  way. 

I  repeated  over  and  over  again  the  words  which 
the  Maori  had  addressed  to  his  woolly  headed  pupil 
on  that  hot  day  at  Levuka.  They  raced  madly  round 
in  my  mind,  as  if  exultant  because  I  had  found  the 
reason  why  they  persisted  in  storing  themselves  in 
the  cells  of  my  brain.  The  soul  within  me  had  known 
that  the  knowledge  would  be  wanted! 

"How  many  paces?"  asked  the  Professor. 

"  Sixty ! "  I  roared ;  and  then,  seized  with  temporary 
insanity,  I  chanted  the  song  of  the  Maori  at  the  top 
of  my  voice : 

"Sixty  paces  to  the  left, 
Sixty  paces  to  the  left, 
That's  the  way  to  heaven, 
That's  the  way  to  heaven, 
That's  the  way  to  heaven  out 
Of  Black  Fernando's  hell." 

"And  here's  the  waterfall!"  cried  Holman.  "Go 
easy  now!  It  must  be  flowing  into  some  hole,  and 


270  THE  WHITE  WATERFALL 

we  don't  want  to  fall  into  an  abyss  just  as  Vers- 
lun  has  discovered  the  way  out." 

We  advanced  cautiously  toward  the  spot  where, 
as  Edith  had  said,  the  water  sparkled  like  fireflies  in 
the  darkness.  It  was  an  eerie  place.  We  knew  that 
the  water  was  there  by  the  sound  it  made  flowing 
over  the  rocks,  but,  except  for  the  tiny  sparks  of 
phosphorescent  light  that  seemed  to  fly  out  from  it, 
we  could  not  see  it.  The  spectacle  thrilled  us.  A 
million  sparks  of  light  seemed  to  rise  from  the  bed  of 
feldspar  over  which  the  water  leaped,  and  the  peculiar 
quality  of  the  rock  gave  to  it  the  weird  brilliancy 
which  held  us  spellbound  as  we  advanced  with  ex 
treme  caution.  It  wasn't  white  by  any  means,  but 
in  those  inky  depths  it  would  not  require  a  great 
effort  of  the  imagination  to  call  it  white.  The  faint 
luminous  flashes  were  the  only  particles  of  light  that 
we  had  seen  since  Leith  had  thrown  the  half-extin 
guished  torch  into  the  hole  that  morning,  and  we 
could  hardly  turn  our  eyes  from  the  novelty. 

The  water  fell  into  an  opening  in  the  rocky  floor, 
and  gurgled  away  into  depths  that  made  us  shiver 
as  the  distant  tinkle  came  up  to  us  as  we  crept  for 
ward  on  hands  and  knees.  We  were  all  thirsty  at 
that  moment,  but  we  wished  to  put  the  directions 
of  the  Maori  to  an  immediate  test,  and  we  were  satis 
fied  to  let  our  longing  for  a  cool  drink  stay  with  us 
till  we  could  prove  whether  the  strangely  luminous 


THE  WIZARDS'  SEAT  271 

waterfall  before  us  was  the  one  about  which  the  two 
natives  chanted  the  strange  song. 

"They  said  to  the  left,  didn't  they?"  asked  Hoi- 
man. 

"Yes,"  I  answered.  I  hardly  recognized  my  own 
voice  as  I  jerked  out  the  word.  I  couldn't  see  the 
faces  of  the  girls,  but  I  understood  what  skyscrapers 
of  hope  they  had  built  upon  the  announcement  I  had 
made  when  Edith  had  told  of  her  discovery.  Now,  as 
we  moved  around  the  hole  in  the  floor,  I  understood 
what  a  tremendous  shock  it  would  be  to  them  if  we 
discovered  that  there  was  no  connection  between  the 
falling  water  and  the  chant. 

"I  suppose  the  left  side  will  be  the  one  upon  our 
left  hand  when  facing  the  fall?"  said  Holman. 

"I  suppose  so,"  I  stammered.  "Let  us  move  up 
close  to  the  side  of  the  water." 

We  edged  along  till  we  could  touch  the  flashing 
stream  that  dropped  from  some  point  high  up  in 
the  immense  roof  of  the  place,  and  then  we 
started  to  step  the  distance,  the  Professor  chatter 
ing  along  behind  us,  while  the  two  girls  brought  up 
the  rear. 

Holman  chanted  the  numbers  aloud,  and  a  cold 
sweat  broke  out  upon  me  as  he  counted.  A  fear  of 
my  own  sanity  came  upon  me.  I  thought  that  this 
connection  between  the  song  and  the  luminous  water 
might  have  been  suggested  by  a  brain  that  had  sud- 


272  THE  WHITE  WATERFALL 

denly  lost  its  balance  under  the  torture  of  the 
preceding  three  days. 

"Fifty-six!     Fifty-seven!  Fifty-eight!  - 

It  was  Holman's  voice,  but  to  my  reeling  brain  the 
sound  came  from  the  roof  and  thundered  in  my  ears 
like  a  brazen  bell. 

"  Fifty-nine!     Sixty!" 

We  stopped  together,  and  the  suppressed  sobs  of 
Barbara  Herndon  were  the  only  sounds  that  broke 
the  little  stillness  that  followed.  There  was  no  way 
out!  The  darkness,  so  it  seemed  to  us,  was  thicker 
than  ever! 

"Nothing  doing,"  muttered  Holman.  "I  counted 
right,  didn't  I?" 

"I  think  so,"  I  answered  huskily. 

"Sixty  paces  exactly,  and  here's  the  wall  along 
side  us." 

My  fingers  groped  along  the  moist  rock.  I  felt 
stunned.  Now  that  the  test  had  been  made  it  seemed 
insanity  to  connect  a  chant  that  I  heard  at  Levuka 
with  a  waterfall  in  a  cavern  on  the  Isle  of  Tears.  But 
why  had  Toni  been  killed?  Why  had  Leith  exhib 
ited  such  curiosity  about  the  song  when  he  heard 
me  relating  the  incident  to  the  two  sisters  on  board 
the  yacht? 

My  ringers  came  to  a  crevice  in  the  wall  as 
the  question  presented  a  bold  front  to  the  doubt 
that  had  gripped  me.  The  fissure  was  some  four 


THE  WIZARDS'  SEAT  273 

feet  wide,  and  my  exclamation  made  Holman  put 
a  question. 

"What  is  it?"  he  asked. 

"Nothing,"  I  answered.  Wrecked  hopes  had  made 
me  cautious.  Still  I  felt  certain  that  I  had  remem 
bered  those  words  for  some  purpose.  I  recalled  how 
they  had  puzzled  me  on  that  hot  day,  and  how  I  had 
questioned  Holman  concerning  "Pilgrim's  Progress" 
when  he  had  roused  me  from  my  sleep. 

"Well,  if  there's  nothing  here  I'm  going  back  to 
get  a  drink,"  said  Holman. 

"Hold  on!"  I  stammered,  as  I  uncoiled  the  piece 
of  spare  rope  from  my  shoulders;  "I  want  you  a 
minute.  There's  a  split  in  this  rock,  and  I'm  going 
to  explore  it.  Take  the  end  of  this  rope  and  hang 
on." 

"Hadn't  I  better  go  with  you?"  he  asked. 

"  Not  this  trip,"  I  answered.  "  I've  just  got  a  feel 
ing  that  I'd  like  to  see  where  it  leads  to.  Hold  tight!" 

I  stepped  cautiously  into  the  narrow  passage  and 
immediately'found  that  it  narrowed  to  such  an  extent 
that  I  had  to  turn  sideways  to  squeeze  through.  The 
floor  sloped  upward,  and  as  the  rock  was  damp  and 
slippery,  I  dropped  upon  my  knees  so  that  I  could 
climb  more  rapidly.  The  place  seemed  a  narrow 
chute.  My  knees  were  skinned  from  the  rough  bot 
tom,  but  I  scratched  desperately  to  obtain  a  foot 
ing.  Hope  was  still  alive.  The  Maori  had  said  that 


274  THE  WHITE  WATERFALL 

the  road  to  heaven  was  sixty  paces  from  the  White 
Waterfall,  and  if  an  all-seeing  Providence  had  guided 
Edith  to  the  waterfall,  it  was  surely  decreed  that 
we  would  make  our  escape  from  the  clutches  of  the 
devil  who  had  us  at  his  mercy. 

"We  will  surely  escape,"  I  muttered,  as  I  scratched 
and  clawed  in  an  effort  to  drag  myself  up  the  slippery 
path.  "We  will  escape!  I  know  it!  We  will  escape! 
I  know-  -" 

The  muttered  words  died  upon  my  lips.  The 
crevice  turned  and  then  broadened  suddenly,  and  a 
blinding  flash  of  light  forced  me  to  fling  myself  face 
downward  upon  the  rock.  For  a  moment  I  lay  there, 
wondering  stupidly  whether  something  had  happened 
to  my  eyes  or  whether  I  had  come  suddenly  into  the 
light  of  day.  I  had  seen  light  —  the  light  of 
what? 

Slowly  I  lifted  my  head,  and  the  truth  came  to  me 
with  stunning  force.  It  was  God's  own  sunlight 
that  I  had  seen !  The  chute  ended  within  three  paces 
of  the  spot  where  I  lay,  and  immediately  opposite 
the  opening  through  which  I  looked  was  a  patch  of 
vermilion  rock  that  blazed  gloriously  as  the  rays  of 
the  afternoon  sun  struck  full  upon  it.  I  knew  that 
rock!  It  had  thrilled  me  as  I  looked  at  it  on  the 
afternoon  when  Leith  had  introduced  us  to  the 
greatest  natural  wonder  of  the  Pacific.  I  was  at  the 
end  of  a  passage  that  opened  into  the  Vermilion  Pit! 


THE  WIZARDS'  SEAT  275 

From  where  I  lay  I  could  not  see  the  top  of  the 
crater.  When  the  passage  had  suddenly  broadened, 
the  roof  came  down  upon  it,  so  that  the  opening 
through  which  I  looked  at  the  opposite  side  of  the 
great  pit  was  about  ten  feet  wide  but  not  more  than 
two  feet  in  height.  An  overhanging  lip  of  rock  pre 
vented  me  from  looking  up,  but  I  understood  that 
I  was  lower  than  the  slippery  Ledge  of  Death  that  we 
had  crossed  to  reach  the  Valley  of  Echoes.  It  seemed 
years  since  we  had  crossed  that  path,  yet  it  was  less 
than  a  week. 

I  thought  of  the  others  waiting  in  the  darkness, 
and  I  turned  and  slid  down  the  chute  up  which  I 
had  scrambled.  The  path  to  liberty  was  not  yet 
plain,  but  there  was  fresh  air  and  sunlight  at  the  top 
of  the  chute,  and  one  could  see  the  faces  of  those  they 
loved.  Bumping  and  bounding  over  the  jagged  rocks 
I  went  at  a  terrific  speed  to  the  bottom  of  the  slide, 
and,  scrambling  through  the  opening,  I  shouted  the 
news  to  the  four  who  waited  there. 

"It  opens  into  the  Vermilion  Pit!"  I  gasped.     "I 
can't  see  how  we  can  climb  out,  but  there's  hope  - 
there's  hope!" 

I  was  foolish  in  making  the  last  statement,  but  the 
sight  of  the  glorious  sunbeams,  striking  down  into 
the  abyss,  had  made  me  blind  to  the  difficulties  that 
were  yet  to  be  faced!  And  the  Maori's  chant  must 
surely  be  true!  Now  that  it  had  brought  us  to  the 


276  THE  WHITE  WATERFALL 

light,  I  could  not  but  believe  that  it  would  bring  us 
to  liberty. 

The  slippery  chute  brought  a  suggestion  from  Hoi- 
man.  He  advised  that  the  two  girls  and  the  Pro 
fessor  remain  at  the  bottom  while  he  and  I  took  one 
end  of  the  rope  to  the  top  so  that  we  could  haul  them 
up  the  wet  track  that  I  had  scaled  with  difficulty. 

"We  won't  be  five  minutes!"  I  cried.  "Stay 
where  you  are  till  we  signal." 

I  didn't  think,  as  Holman  and  I  crawled  to  the 
top  of  that  place,  what  an  eventful  five  minutes 
that  would  be.  But  the  big  things  of  life  are 
crammed  into  minutes,  and  Time  was  bringing 
the  most  thrilling  one  of  our  lives  toward  us  as 
we  scrambled  up  the  chute.  Our  adventures 
upon  the  Isle  of  Tears  were  to  have  a  climax 
that  fitted  them. 

Holman  stopped  as  I  had  done  and  thrust  his  face 
down  upon  the  rock  as  his  eyes  caught  a  glimpse  of 
the  glittering  wall  of  the  crater  that  came  suddenly 
into  view.  The  rays  of  the  sun  blazing  down  upon 
the  stained  sides  of  the  mysterious  pit  made  the  veins 
of  colour  appear  like  brilliant  snakes.  The  patch 
that  was  framed  by  the  walls  of  the  opening  through 
which  we  gazed  was  a  wild  riot  of  scintillating, 
blinding  colours  that  dazzled  our  eyes  as  we  stared 
at  them. 

For  a  minute  Holman  breathed  hungrily  of  the 


THE  WIZARDS'  SEAT  277 

hot  air,  then  he  attempted  to  discover  our  exact 
position  in  the  crater. 

"  We  must  be  somewhere  near  the  top,"  he  de 
clared.  "Don't  you  remember  that  the  colour  of 
the  walls  darkened  rapidly  below  the  Ledge  of 
Death?" 

"I  remember,"  I  answered.  "We  must  be  nearly 
on  a  level  with  the  Ledge." 

"If  we  could  look  out  from  under  this  projecting 
piece  of  rock,"  muttered  the  youngster. 

"It's  risky." 

"I'll  make  a  try,  Verslun.  Hold  my  legs.  I'm 
going  to  hang  out  of  this  burrow  and  take  a  peep 
around  to  get  our  bearings." 

I  gripped  his  legs,  and  turning  upon  his  back  he 
pushed  himself  slowly  out  over  the  edge  of  the  pas 
sage  till  he  was  able  to  look  up  in  front  of  the  piece 
of  rock  that  projected  like  the  peak  of  a  cap  above 
the  opening. 

Clinging  to  this  peak  with  his  two  hands,  the 
upper  part  of  his  body  being  out  over  the  abyss, 
he  stared  upward,  and  as  I  watched  his  face  I 
noticed  the  look  of  joy  and  amazement  that  spread 
across  it. 

"What  is  it,  Holman?"  I  cried.  "Are  we  saved? 
Tell  me!" 

H&  slid  hurriedly  back  to  safety  and  pounded  the 
rock  above  his  head  with  his  bare  fists. 


278  THE  WHITE  WATERFALL 

"Do  you  know  what  this  is?"  he  yelled.  "Do 
you  know?" 

I  tried  to  utter  the  words  that  came  to  my  tongue, 
but  I  could  not.  I  could  see  the  joy  in  the  young 
ster's  eyes,  but  I  was  afraid  to  speak. 

" It  is  the  Ledge  of  Death ! "  he  shouted.  "There 
is  only  six  inches  of  rock  above  us!" 

"Then  we're  saved!"  I  cried. 

"  Sure !  If  you  put  the  rope  around  me  I  can  crawl 
up  on  it,  and  once  there  I  can  haul  up  the  others.  Do 
you  know  what  Soma  told  the  Professor  about  the 
bad  men  falling  into  this  infernal  pit?" 

I  nodded  my  head.  I  was  unable  to  speak  at 
that  moment. 

"Well,  the  Wizards  of  the  Centipede  fixed  that! 
Don't  you  see?  This  was  their  seat!  They  leaned 
out  of  this  place  as  I  leaned  out  just  now,  and  they 
gripped  the  ankles  of  any  poor  devil  they  had  a 
grouch  against.  It  was  devilish " 

I  put  my  hand  across  his  mouth  and  he  became 
instantly  mute.  We  held  our  breath  and  listened 
intently.  From  above  us  came  the  faint  sound  of 
footsteps  and  a  cold  perspiration  broke  out  upon 
us.  Some  one  was  walking  slowly  along  the  Ledge 
of  Death! 

The  sounds  ceased  when  the  unknown  was  im 
mediately  above  our  heads,  and  a  guilty  look  came 
upon  Holman's  face.  The  man  on  the  Ledge  had 


THE  WIZARDS'  SEAT  279 

probably  heard  the  youngster's  voice,  and  he  was 
puzzled  to  know  where  the  sounds  had  come  from. 

We  sat  without  moving  a  muscle.  The  silence 
convinced  us  that  the  unknown  was  listening.  We 
knew  that  he  hadn't  climbed  from  the  Ledge  to  the 
top  of  the  crater.  The  scratching  of  his  shoes 
against  the  rock  would  have  come  to  our  ears.  He 
was  waiting  —  waiting  to  discover  from  what  direc 
tion  the  voice  had  come  that  caused  him  to  pause 
and  listen. 

The  minutes  passed  like  slow-dragging  years.  The 
man  above  wore  shoes  and  the  two  men  who  wore 
shoes,  outside  our  own  party,  were  Leith  and  the 
one-eyed  man.  Somehow  we  felt  that  Maru  and 
Kaipi  had  settled  with  One  Eye,  so  there  was  only 
one  person  on  the  Isle  of  Tears  who  could  possibly 
be  listening. 

Ten  minutes  passed,  then  Holman  pointed  to  his 
own  legs.  I  understood  the  sign  and  gripped  his 
ankles.  My  head  was  bursting  with  the  terror  in 
spired  by  the  thought  that  our  escape  might  be  cut 
off  after  the  miraculous  manner  in  which  the  way  out 
had  been  shown  to  us. 

Without  noise,  yet  with  incredible  swiftness,  the 
youngster  turned  upon  his  back  and  wriggled  forward 
till  his  head  and  shoulders  were  again  out  over  the 
pit.  His  body  was  tense,  every  muscle  showing  as 
he  stiffened  himself.  Into  my  mind  flashed  a  picture 


28o  THE  WHITE  WATERFALL 

of  the  bloodthirsty  Wizards  of  the  Centipede  stretch 
ing  out  in  exactly  the  same  manner  centuries  before 
a  white  man  sailed  into  the  Pacific! 

The  silence  seemed  to  sap  my  strength.  I  watched 
Holman  with  eyes  that  were  half-blinded  by  the 
perspiration  that  rolled  down  my  forehead.  There 
was  no  movement  upon  the  ledge,  and  the  fingers  of 
the  youngster  were  reaching  slowly — slowly  upward. 

It  was  a  yell  of  horror  that  shattered  the  awful 
quiet  —  a  yell  that  went  up  through  the  hot  air 
like  the  shriek  of  a  lost  soul.  It  swirled  around  and 
around  like  a  lariat  of  brass.  It  was  a  terrible  yell. 
It  wrenched  my  inmost  being  till  the  very  spirit 
seemed  to  go  out  of  me  for  an  instant,  and  I  returned 
to  consciousness  to  find  myself  struggling  to  hold 
Holman  from  being  dragged  into  the  depths  below. 

It  was  the  youngster's  voice  that  seemed  to  bring 
me  back  to  a  knowledge  of  the  surroundings.  In 
an  instant's  pause  in  the  torrent  of  blasphemy  his 
words  came  to  me  clear  and  distinct. 

"Hold  me  tight,  Verslun!"  he  cried.  "Hold  me 
tight,  man!  /  have  him!" 

I  shut  my  eyes  to  escape  the  fascination  of  the 
depths,  and  I  gripped  Holman's  ankles  till  my  nails 
burrowed  into  his  flesh.  I  felt  his  body  heave  with 
a  tremendous  effort,  then  another  yell,  shorter  but 
more  terrifying  than  the  first,  told  me  that  the 
struggle  was  over. 


THE  WIZARDS'  SEAT  281 

I  dragged  Holman  back  to  safety,  and,  stretched 
side  by  side  upon  the  rock,  we  listened.  Down  in  the 
pit  —  miles,  leagues  away,  something  was  falling! 

The  youngster  pulled  himself  together  after  the 
silence  had  settled  upon  the  place  like  a  film. 

"Let's  tie  the  rope  and  get  the  girls  up  here,"  he 
said  quietly.  "In  a  while  —  in  a  little  while — I  can 
crawl  on  to  the  ledge  and  pull  them  up  with  a  rope." 


CHAPTER  XXIV 

THE    WAY    TO    HEAVEN 

WITH  quick-beating  pulses  we  fixed  the  rope 
and  shouted  directions  down  the  slippery 
passage  to  the  girls  and  the  Professor,  and 
inside  of  ten  minutes  they  were  beside  us,   looking 
out  with  frightened  eyes  at  the  coloured  wall  of  the 
opposite    side   of  the  pit.     The  faces  of  Edith  and 
Barbara  looked  pale  and  careworn,  but  they  smiled 
bravely  when  Holman  assured  them  that  we  were 
within  a  yard  of  the  path  by  which  we  had  crossed 
to  the  Valley  of  Echoes. 

"Be  brave,"  he  said  cheerfully.     "You'll  be  on 

282 


THE  WAY  TO  HEAVEN  283 

your  way  back  to  the  shore  before  many  hours  have 
passed  by.  There  is  no  —  no  danger  now." 

I  do  not  know  if  the  two  girls  understood  the  mean 
ing  of  his  words,  but  they  asked  no  questions.  Some 
how  I  think  that  they  knew  what  had  happened. 
Those  two  terrible  cries  must  have  reached  their 
ears  as  they  waited  at  the  foot  of  the  chute  that  led 
to  the  wizards'  seat,  but  if  they  had  any  doubts 
concerning  their  origin,  they  refrained  from  seeking 
information.  But  the  Professor  knew.  A  melan 
choly  that  had  tied  his  tongue  all  through  the  long 
day  in  the  Black  Kindergarten  left  him  as  he  came 
to  the  sunlight,  and  he  became  light-hearted  and 
merry.  He  felt  that  he  had  been  relieved  of  his 
load  of  nightmares,  and  the  dangers  of  the  climb 
to  the  rocky  shelf  above  our  heads  did  not  trouble 
him  in  the  least. 

It  was  Holman  who  performed  the  heroic  work 
on  the  late  afternoon  of  that  eventful  day.  With 
the  rope  tied  around  his  waist,  he  pushed  himself 
out  as  he  had  done  twice  before  during  the  preceding 
hour,  then,  gripping  the  edge  of  the  shelf,  dragged 
himself  forward.  For  a  moment,  as  he  swung  over 
the  depths,  it  looked  as  if  he  would  be  unable  to 
drag  himself  up,  and  we  clung  on  to  the  rope  and 
watched  him  with  frightened  eyes.  But  youth  and 
courage  won  the  day.  Slowly,  inch  by  inch,  he  lifted 
himself,  the  lips  of  the  two  girls  moving  in  dumb 


284  THE  WHITE  WATERFALL 

prayer;  then  we  lost  sight  of  him  as  he  drew  his  legs 
up  on  to  the  ledge,  and  we  knew  that  we  were  safe! 

The  youngster  secured  the  rope  to  a  projection  on 
the  shelf  above,  and  the  Professor,  nervous  but  game, 
was  the  next  to  make  the  perilous  journey.  It  was 
blood-curdling  to  watch  the  old  man  swaying  over 
the  depths  while  Holman,  lying  flat  upon  his  stomach, 
gripped  him  beneath  the  arms  and  dragged  the  poor 
old  scientist  to  safety. 

Barbara  went  next,  and  when  the  rope  was  lowered 
once  more  I  secured  it  around  Edith's  waist.  I  held 
her  in  my  arms  as  I  pushed  her  body  forward  to 
Holman's  strong  hands  that  waited  just  below  the 
ledge,  and  for  one  brief  instant  her  lips  came  close 
to  mine,  and  with  a  mad,  wild  love  that  had  been  born 
in  danger,  where  there  was  no  time  for  words,  I 
stooped  and  kissed  her.  And  even  in  that  moment 
of  extreme  peril  a  faint  smile  swept  over  her  face 
as  she  looked  up  into  mine,  and  I  knew  that  she 
understood. 

It  was  nearly  sunset  when  we  moved  away  from 
the  top  of  the  Vermilion  Pit,  but  we  had  not  gone 
ten  paces  when  we  stopped.  A  yell  came  out  of 
the  place,  then  another  and  another,  and  Holman 
and  I  rushed  back  to  the  edge.  Down  beneath  us, 
on  the  slippery  Ledge  of  Death,  two  natives  were 
locked  in  a  death  grip,  and  a  single  glance  told  us 
that  they  were  Maru  and  Soma.  The  Raretongan 


THE  WAY  TO  HEAVEN  285 

had  chased  Leith's  brown  lieutenant  on  to  the  path, 
and  now  they  were  struggling  like  demons  in  the  mad 
endeavour  to  thrust  each  other  into  the  depths. 

"Quick!"  cried  Holman.     "The  rope!" 

He  slipped  the  line  around  his  waist  as  the  pair 
moved  to  the  edge.  Maru  was  dragging  the  big 
savage  with  a  strength  that  was  surprising,  but  it 
was  a  certainty  that  if  Soma  went  over  the  edge  the 
Raretongan  would  keep  him  company. 

Holman  slipped  down  upon  the  Ledge,  but  before 
he  could  reach  them  a  dusty,  bleeding  figure  stum 
bled  through  the  entrance  to  the  cavern,  a  knife 
flashed  in  the  sunlight,  and  Maru  was  drawn  back 
into  safety  as  Soma  released  his  grip.  The  newcomer 
was  Kaipi! 

"He  kill  Toni!"  he  cried.  "Toni  all  same  brother 
to  me.  Toni  work  with  me  long  time  Suva." 

Toni,  the  pupil  of  the  Maori,  who  had  instructed 
him  on  Levuka  wharf  as  to  the  way  out  of  Black 
Fernando's  hell,  had  been  avenged  at  last. 

It  was  a  happy  reunion  we  held  upon  the  edge  of 
the  pit.  Edith  and  Barbara  bound  up  the  wounds 
of  the  two  faithful  natives,  and  the  muscular  Rare 
tongan  was  so  touched  with  their  tender  ministra 
tions  that  he  foraged  in  his  tattered  sulu,  and  with 
tears  of  gratitude  in  his  big  brown  eyes  he  handed 
back  to  Barbara  the  emerald  ring  with  which  she 
had  caused  him  to  desert  from  Leith's  service. 


286  THE  WHITE  WATERFALL 

"Me  want  no  pay  from  you!"  he  cried.  "Me 
work  for  you  all  same  nothing!" 

We  learned  that  the  one-eyed  white  man  and  the 
last  of  the  Wizards  of  the  Centipede  had  been 
dispatched  by  Maru  and  Kaipi,  and  we  also  received 
the  news  that  the  four  carriers  had  bolted  back  to 
the  yacht.  The  latter  piece  of  information  some 
what  dampened  our  spirits.  We  felt  that  Leith 
and  Newmarch  were  friends,  and  we  wondered  what 
the  silent,  thin-faced  captain  would  do  when  he 
heard  the  story  of  Black  Fernando's  discomfiture. 

On  account  of  Kaipi's  weak  state  we  camped  that 
evening  on  the  same  spot  that  we  had  occupied  on  the 
second  night  upon  the  Isle  of  Tears,  and  at  daybreak 
next  morning  we  set  out  for  the  little  bay.  We  were 
all  happy.  The  Professor  was  as  pleased  as  a  boy 
on  his  vacation,  and  he  had  returned  again  to  his 
task  of  taking  notes.  The  two  girls  were  radiant; 
Kaipi  was  joyful  because  the  murdered  Toni  had 
been  revenged,  and  Maru  was  in  the  seventh  heaven 
of  delight  because  Barbara  had  informed  him  that 
he  could  go  to  San  Francisco  with  the  party  as  a 
reward  for  his  devotion.  As  for  Holman  and  myself, 
we  forgot  the  loneliness  of  the  place  in  our  joy.  The 
same  trees  peered  at  us,  the  same  cablelike  vines 
gripped  our  legs,  and  the  same  weird  rock  masses 
blocked  our  paths,  but  love  was  in  our  hearts,  and 
morbid  thoughts  were  chased  away. 


THE  WAY  TO  HEAVEN  287 

On  the  afternoon  of  the  second  day  from  the  pit 
we  reached  the  shore  of  the  little  bay,  but  The  Waif 
was  not  there.  Newmarch  had  evidently  discovered 
that  Leith  had  not  been  quite  successful  in  the  carry 
ing  out  of  his  plans,  and  fearful  of  his  own  share  in 
the  business,  he  had  bolted  with  the  yacht.  The 
South  Sea  breeds  piratical  thoughts,  and  from  our 
own  knowledge  of  the  captain  we  guessed  that  in  his 
particular  case  those  thoughts  would  be  easily  gen 
erated. 

"He  thinks  he'll  save  his  own  skin  by  clearing 
out,"  said  Holman,  "but  I'm  satisfied  that  Dame 
Justice  is  an  expert  with  the  lariat.  If  he's  not  in 
jail  before  three  months  are  out,  my  name  is  not 
Will  Holman." 

It  was  the  missionary  schooner  Messenger  of 
Light  that  saw  our  beacon  upon  the  island  on  the 
fourth  day  after  we  had  reached  the  spot  where  we 
had  landed  from  The  Waif.  The  beautiful  white 
vessel  hove  to  outside  the  entrance  to  the  little  bay, 
a  boat  came  ashore,  and  twenty  minutes  after  they 
had  first  sighted  our  signal  we  were  on  the  way  to 
Wellington,  New  Zealand. 

"And  the  'Frisco  boats  call  there,"  murmured 
Barbara.  "Joy!  Joy!  Joy!" 

The  moon  was  whitening  the  sleeping  Pacific  when 
Edith  and  I  stood  looking  over  the  tafTrail  as  the 


288  THE  WHITE  WATERFALL 

Messenger  of  Light  swept  on  her  course.  From  near 
by  came  the  voice  of  Professor  Herndon  relating 
his  experiences  to  a  missionary  who  was  returning 
from  the  Marquesas.  A  soft  island  melody  was 
wafted  from  the  fo'c'stle,  and  the  night  was  alive 
with  all  the  witchery  of  the  tropics. 

"Edith,"  I  whispered,  as  I  took  her  hand,  "I  am 

a  common  sailorman,  but  if  you  could  love  me  I  - 
j » 

I  stopped  in  confusion,  and  as  she  had  done  on  a 
former  occasion,  she  came  to  the  rescue  of  my  stam 
mering  tongue. 

"You  are  a  big,  true  man,"  she  murmured.  "If 
you  had  not  come  with  us  we  should  not  have  re 
turned  from  that  awful  place.  God  let  you  listen  to 
that  song  of  the  White  Waterfall  so  that  we  might 
be  saved." 

Some  minutes  afterward  she  released  herself  from 
my  arms.  "Let  us  find  Will  and  Barbara,"  she  said 
softly.  "We  will  share  each  other's  happiness." 

And  as  I  followed  her  across  the  poop,  a  tremen 
dous  surge  of  joy  rose  up  and  filled  my  heart.  The 
whole  world  was  clean  and  good,  and  in  my  glorious 
exultation  I  whispered  a  prayer  for  the  soul  of  John 
Leith,  alias  Black  Fernando. 

THE    END 


THE  COUNTRY  LIFE   PRESS,   GARDEN  CITY,  NEW   YORK 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 

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